If you’re looking for the score of Washington Redskins game today, you’ve probably noticed something pretty obvious: the name is gone. Since 2020, the team has transitioned through the "Washington Football Team" era into the current "Commanders" identity. But for a massive chunk of the fan base, the history—and those legendary scores—will always be tied to the old burgundy and gold moniker. Honestly, looking back at the scoreboard isn't just about stats. It's about a specific brand of smash-mouth football that defined the NFC East for decades.
The numbers tell a story.
Take a second to think about the 1991 season. Many experts, including the folks over at Football Outsiders and various DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) metrics, consider that '91 squad to be one of the greatest teams to ever step onto a field. They didn't just win; they suffocated people.
The Most Famous Score of Washington Redskins Game History: Super Bowl XXVI
When people talk about the peak of this franchise, they usually point to January 26, 1992. The final score? Washington 37, Buffalo Bills 24.
It wasn't even as close as that 13-point margin suggests. Mark Rypien was absolutely dialed in, throwing for 292 yards and two touchdowns. But if you really want to understand how they got that score, you have to look at the "Hogs." That offensive line—guys like Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, and Jeff Bostic—basically turned the Buffalo defensive front into a group of spectators. They were relentless.
It's kinda wild to think about how much the game has changed. Back then, a 37-24 score felt like a total offensive explosion. Today, that’s just a standard Sunday for a high-octane passing offense. But Joe Gibbs didn't rely on gimmicks. He used a heavy "counter trey" run game and a devastating play-action pass.
Why the 1940 Championship Still Stings
On the flip side of glory, there is the most infamous score in NFL history. It happened on December 8, 1940. The Chicago Bears 73, Washington 0.
Yep. 73 to nothing.
It remains the most lopsided game in the history of the league. What's crazy is that Washington had actually beaten the Bears 7-3 just a few weeks earlier. Before the title game, Washington owner George Preston Marshall called the Bears "crybabies." Chicago took that personally. They showed up in D.C. and scored so many touchdowns that they actually ran out of footballs because so many were kicked into the stands for extra points. The officials eventually asked them to stop kicking and just pass for the conversions.
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Understanding the "Score of Washington Redskins Game" Search Intent
When you search for a score today, you're usually looking for one of three things:
- A Historical Record: You're settling a bet about a game from the 80s or 90s.
- The Commanders Score: You're using the old name out of habit to find out how the current D.C. team fared this afternoon.
- Specific Rivalry Stats: You want to see the head-to-head record against the Cowboys or Giants.
Let's talk about the Cowboys rivalry for a second. The "score of Washington Redskins game" against Dallas is basically a cultural touchstone in the DMV area. The most significant one? Probably the 1982 NFC Championship. Washington 31, Dallas 17.
That game gave us the "We Want Dallas" chants that still echo at FedEx Field (or Northwest Stadium, depending on the week). Dexter Manley and Charles Mann were terrorizing Danny White. It was a physical, almost violent brand of football that you just don't see in the modern, player-safety-focused NFL.
The Joe Gibbs Era by the Numbers
Joe Gibbs is the only coach to win three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks (Theismann, Williams, and Rypien). That is a statistical anomaly that shouldn't be possible.
- Super Bowl XVII: 27-17 over the Dolphins (John Riggins' iconic 4th-and-1 run).
- Super Bowl XXII: 42-10 over the Broncos (Doug Williams' 35-point second quarter).
- Super Bowl XXVI: 37-24 over the Bills.
The 42-10 win over Denver is particularly insane. Washington was down 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. Then, in the second quarter, they scored five touchdowns in 18 minutes. It was the most dominant single quarter in postseason history.
The Modern Shift: From Redskins to Commanders
Transitioning away from the old name changed the digital footprint of the team. If you are looking for a current score of Washington Redskins game, Google’s algorithm usually redirects you to the Washington Commanders.
Under Dan Snyder's ownership, the scores became... less fun to look at. From roughly 1999 to 2023, the team struggled with consistency. We saw the "offseason championship" era where they signed big names like Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders, and Albert Haynesworth, but those big checks rarely translated to big scores on the board.
Take the 2000 season. They spent a fortune. They finished 8-8.
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The most recent "high" in terms of scoring and excitement was likely the 2012 season with Robert Griffin III. The score of the Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys that year—Washington 38, Dallas 31—is still burned into the brains of fans. RG3 looked like the future of the sport. He was unstoppable. But injuries and coaching friction eventually saw those scores plummet.
Historical Context: The Highest Scoring Games
If you're a stats nerd, you have to look at the November 27, 1966 game against the New York Giants. The final score was 72-41.
That's 113 total points.
It is still the highest-scoring game in NFL history. It’s basically a basketball score. Brig Owens returned a fumble and an interception for touchdowns. A.D. Whitfield scored three times. It was absolute chaos. Imagine being a defensive coordinator in that era and watching your team give up 72 points. You’d probably quit on the spot.
How to Find Archived Scores and Box Scores
If you're digging for deep stats, don't just rely on a basic search. You've gotta go to the right places.
- Pro Football Reference: This is the holy grail. You can find every single play-by-play for games dating back decades.
- The Washington Post Archives: Great for getting the "feel" of the game through local journalism.
- NFL Game Pass (NFL+): If you want to actually see the score on the screen, they have condensed games going back years.
People often get confused about the transition years. For example, if you look for the 2020 or 2021 seasons, you'll find them under "Washington Football Team." Those years were actually surprisingly competitive under Ron Rivera, including a playoff appearance with a 7-9 record. They lost a close one to Tom Brady and the Bucs, 31-23. That game was much closer than people expected, mostly because Taylor Heinicke decided to play the game of his life.
The Impact of the Name Change on SEO
Look, honestly, the transition has been messy for researchers. When you type in "score of Washington Redskins game," you are often fighting through a mix of vintage memorabilia sites, historical archives, and current news about the Commanders.
But the data is consistent. Whether you call them the Redskins, the WFT, or the Commanders, the franchise record is a permanent part of the NFL's DNA.
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What the Numbers Don't Tell You
A score like 17-14 doesn't tell you about the weather at RFK Stadium. It doesn't tell you about the way the stadium literally vibrated because fans were jumping on the bleachers. The "Redskins" era was defined by a specific home-field advantage that the team has been trying to reclaim for twenty years.
RFK was a nightmare for visiting teams. The scores reflected that. Teams would come in and immediately look rattled.
Compare that to the recent scores at the current stadium in Landover. It’s often a "takeover" by opposing fans—Cowboys, Eagles, Steelers. When the away fans outnumber the home fans, the scoreboard usually reflects that lack of energy.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Researchers
If you are tracking down historical scores for a project, a bet, or just nostalgia, here is how you should approach it:
- Cross-Reference by Date: Don't just search by "Redskins vs. Giants." Search for the specific date (e.g., "Washington vs Giants Oct 1986") to avoid getting clogged with modern results.
- Use Team Abbreviations: Searching "WAS vs DAL" often yields better spreadsheet-style results than using full names.
- Check the "Hog" Factor: When looking at high-scoring games from the 80s, check the rushing attempts. If Washington had over 35 carries, they almost always won. That was the formula.
- Acknowledge the Ownership Change: Since the team was sold to the Josh Harris group, the organizational structure has changed. Historical data is now being treated with more "respect" by the team's official PR, so expect more "Legacy" content to appear online with accurate historical scores.
The score of Washington Redskins game isn't just a set of digits. It’s a record of a time when D.C. was a perennial powerhouse. Whether it's the 37-24 Super Bowl win or the heartbreaking 73-0 loss in 1940, these numbers define the identity of one of the most storied franchises in American sports.
To get the most accurate current data, always verify through the NFL’s official GSIS (Game Statistics and Information System) reports, which provide the "official" gold standard for every point ever scored on a professional field. If you’re looking for a score from today, check the live trackers at ESPN or the NFL app, but keep in mind you'll be looking for the "Commanders" now.
The next step is to look at the defensive stats from the Gibbs era. While the scores were high, the "Big Blue" and "Manly" era defenses were the real reason those numbers stayed in Washington's favor. You can find those detailed defensive rankings on Pro Football Reference to see just how few points that 1991 defense actually allowed per game.