After a nail-biting 19-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 27, the Washington Commanders improved to 7-5, currently holding the final playoff spot in the NFC.

The “Commies” have won their last three games, including a stunning triumph over the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.

In fact, they’ve won six of their last seven games. The sole loss in that stretch came against the 9-2 Minnesota Vikings, to whom they fell by only three points.

However, the season hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Washington.

After winning their opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team dropped four straight games. It quickly became apparent that the offense, led by new quarterback Carson Wentz, was insufficient.

In the offseason, the Commanders traded for Wentz hoping that he would return to his level of play in 2017. That season, Wentz was largely considered the MVP frontrunner and likely would have won if he hadn’t gotten injured.

This year, however, Wentz has been anything but an MVP. Instead, he became the example of how not to avoid taking sacks.

Wentz often prefers to wait for receivers to get open rather than throwing the ball away or scrambling when pressure arrives.

His aversion to running led to 19 sacks in just four games. He was sacked nine times alone in the game against his former Eagles.

In his most recent win against the Chicago Bears on Oct. 13, Wentz did little more than handing the ball off to the running backs. He threw for 99 yards with 0 touchdowns and three sacks.

Unfortunately for the former second overall pick, a fractured ring finger placed him on the injury reserve, forcing him to sit for at least four weeks.

Left without their starting quarterback, the Commanders had to turn back to their starter last year, Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke’s poor performance in the 2021-22 season was the reason Washington was willing to pay Wentz’s $29 million contract.

Heinicke’s arrival, however, has been a blessing in disguise for the Commanders.

Realizing their new quarterback’s shortcomings, the Commanders established their identity as a run-focused, ball control team. They have won the time of possession battle in their last six games, of which they won five.

The commitment to running the football was an easy decision, given the talent of rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr.

Detailed in an excellent article from the Script’s own Reagan Carter was the adversity Robinson faced before the season started. The Alabama rookie was shot twice in the leg on Aug. 28, prolonging his season debut until Oct. 9.

Despite playing only eight games, Robinson is fifth in rushing yards and sixth in rushing touchdowns among rookie running backs, according to statmuse.com

Since the switch to emphasizing the run, Washington has rushed for over 130 yards in five of their last six games.

The sacks have also declined drastically for the Commanders.

Whereas Wentz had taken nine in just one game, Heinicke has been sacked only nine times in the last six games going back to his first start this year.

Though they are in the playoff picture now, the Commanders have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league.

They have yet to play the Saquon Barkley-led New York Giants, their division rivals who are sitting at 7-4.

Washington has two bouts against the G-Men, another round with the 8-3 Dallas Cowboys, a match with the 7-4 San Francisco 49ers (they’ve won their last four games), and a haymaker against the Deshaun Watson-led Cleveland Browns.

However, if the Commanders have shown anything this year, it’s been the resiliency and drive to fight against adversity.