Which former Commanders are playing in Super Bowl LVI?

We’re just hours away from Super Bowl LVI.

It certainly wasn’t the matchup anybody expected, but the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, two teams the Washington Commanders did not play this season, have gifted football fans with a playoffs for the record books.

The Bengals’ Wild Card victory over the Raiders wasn’t thrilling, but it still qualified as their first playoff win in 33 years. From there, they put forth a tremendous defensive effort to knock off the No. 1 seed Titans on a last-second 52-yard field goal from rookie kicker Evan McPherson.

That was followed with an improbable second half comeback (they trailed 21-3 midway through the second quarter) against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game to reach the Super Bowl.

The Rams, on the other hand, made light work of Arizona in the first round before they disposed of Tom Brady and the Bucs in jaw-dropping fashion after the game seem destined for overtime. While the NFC title game didn’t feature any last-ditch heroics, LA still overcame a 10-point fourth quarter deficit.

Like we said, these playoffs have been historic. That alone should give Commanders fans enough incentive to tune in at 6:30 p.m., but maybe having some former Washington players to watch could help move the needle.

Are any former Commanders playing in Super Bowl LVI?

These playoffs lost a lot of its Washington flavor after Trent Williams and the 49ers were ousted in the NFC Championship Game. 49ers right tackle Tom Compton was a former sixth-round draft pick of Washington back in 2013, too.

With that said, fans will recognize some names in tonight’s game.

If you needed any more reason to root for the Bengals, the Rams don’t have any former Washington players on the roster. If you count Sean McVay, the team’s former tight ends coach under Mike Shanahan, knock yourself out.

The Bengals, on the other hand, roster one Samaje Perine, who was drafted by Washington in the fourth round back in 2017.

Perine served as the lead back as a rookie and was a complete disappointment, totaling 603 rushing yards and one touchdown on 3.4 yards per carry while getting vastly outperformed by elusive backup Chris Thompson, who was more effective both as a runner and pass-catcher.

Since then, though, Perine has evolved into a solid backup for Joe Mixon. He doesn’t get a ton of looks with Mixon serving as a three-down workhorse, but his 4.6 yards per carry over 118 totes is nothing to sniff at.

Of course, Perine’s signature moment in a Bengals uniform came in the AFC Championship Game, when he took a screen pass 41 yards to the house to give Cincinnati a sign of life just before halftime.

What a moment for Perine and the Bengals. Though he never panned out in Washington, we’ll be pulling for him to lift the Lombardi Trophy.

Outside of the 26-year-old back, Cincy has Thaddeus Moss, who was signed by the now-Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2020. The son of NFL legend Randy Moss, Thaddeus has struggled with injuries since going pro. He’s on IR with a hamstring and is still seeking his first snaps in the league.

Finally, we arrive at Noah Spence, a former Washington practice squad player. The fifth-year defensive end appeared in seven games for the team in 2019, producing three tackles, a sack and two QB hits over 85 snaps.

It was probably the case before this article, but I think it’s fair to say that we’re all Bengals fans for the next several hours, right?

After all, they’re the clear underdogs, Joe Burrow is extremely likable and on the verge of making more history, and Perine gives them just enough Washington ties to make it not look suspicious, or “sus”, as the kids would say.