| 2020 Washington Football Team season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Daniel Snyder |
| General manager | Ron Rivera (de facto) |
| President | Jason Wright |
| Head coach | Ron Rivera |
| Offensive coordinator | Scott Turner |
| Defensive coordinator | Jack Del Rio |
| Home field | FedExField |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 1st NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Buccaneers) 23–31 |
| Pro Bowlers | |
| AP All-Pros | G Brandon Scherff (1st team) |
| Uniform | |
 | |
The 2020 season was the Washington Football Team's 89th in the National Football League (NFL) and their first under head coach Ron Rivera. The season also marked the first time since their inaugural season as the Braves in 1932 that the team was not known as the Redskins, as they retired the name and logo during the offseason in the wake of the George Floyd protests, and after decades of controversy.[1] This was also the first season since 2009 without Pro Bowl offensive lineman, Trent Williams. Who was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on April 25, 2020.
The team improved upon its 3–13 record in 2019 by going 7–9 and winning the NFC East for the first time since 2015. In doing so they became only the third team in NFL history to win a division with a losing record after the 2010 Seattle Seahawks and 2014 Carolina Panthers, the latter of which Rivera also coached. It would be followed by the 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also became the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs after a 2–7 start. Their season would end with a 31–23 loss to the eventual Super Bowl LV champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round. The season also marked the return of quarterback Alex Smith, who suffered a life-threatening leg injury late in the 2018 season and missed the entire 2019 season. Smith was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year, while defensive end Chase Young, selected second overall in the 2020 NFL draft, was named Defensive Rookie of the Year.
For the fourth time in five seasons, Washington played on Thanksgiving, playing the Dallas Cowboys for the third time in that span. Also notable was their scheduled absence from Monday Night Football for the first time since 1999,[2] although the Week 13 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was played on a Monday due to COVID-19-related schedule changes affecting the Steelers' previous week. Washington ended up winning that game to hand the 11–0 Steelers their first loss of the season.
- ^ Keim, John (July 12, 2020). "Source: Redskins to announce nickname will be changed". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ Keim, John (May 7, 2020). "Washington Redskins' schedule 2020: Low expectations for Ron Rivera's crew". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2020.