20 saddest moments in Washington Commanders history

Commanders saddest games - Part 3

Commanders vs NY Jets

• December 11, 1993 - RFK Stadium

This was a meaningless game in a disaster of a season. But it still hurt. Washington entered the game against the New York Jets trying to salvage some dignity.

Washington was 3-9 under soon-to-be-fired head coach Richie Petitbon. The Jets were battling for a playoff spot. They had a stout defense and a low-rent offense. Turns out, they wouldn’t need much to handle the hosts.

In a game that would help usher in the rule changes that would encourage more scoring, the Jets scored the only points of the game on a first-quarter field goal by Cary Blanchard. They won 3-0.

Washington’s Chip Lohmiller missed his only field goal attempt. The Jets’ offense more than doubled their opponents in total yards and time of possession. It was hard to be a fan in the immediate aftermath of Joe Gibbs.

Commanders vs. Lions

• September 27, 2009 - Ford Field

Now this was downright embarrassing. The Detroit Lions had not won an NFL game in well over a year when Jim Zorn brought the now-Commanders to the Motor City in Week 3.

Detroit snapped their 19-game losing streak by simply pounding Washington into the ground. Kevin Smith ran for over 100 yards on just 16 carries and the Lions built up a 13-0 halftime lead.

Washington could not come back. Zorn did get his team to respond the following week with a win, before going 2-10 over the final 12 weeks. More on that coming soon.