(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Sports statistics are everywhere, and if it can be imagined on the playing field, someone has a stat for it.
But even now, those numbers occasionally crop up that defy explanation, making fans scratch their heads and wonder how this is even possible.
One such eye-popping fact was revealed on social media Sunday.
NFL expert Warren Sharp noted that it has been a staggering 33 seasons since the Washington Commanders posted a defensive shutout.
years since last defensive shutout
1 – CLE, MIA, TB, DAL, JAX, LAC, NO, MIN
2 – SF, NE
3 – BUF, GB, TEN, DEN, IND
4 – CAR
5
6 – LAR, DET, PHI, BAL
7 – ARI
8
9 – SEA
10 – CIN
11
12 – ATL, LV
13 – PIT, KC
14 – CHI, HOU
15 – NYJ, NYG
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31…
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 9, 2024
That’s right, 1991.
To put that in perspective, George H.W. Bush was the U.S. president, the internet was hardly a thing at all, cellphones were primarily the bag variety with circular black cords and Tom Brady was still several years away from being a household name.
That last Commanders shutout, which came under the team’s previous nickname, was at the expense of rival Philadelphia by a 23-0 final.
That 1991 team was replete with defensive standouts and posted two more shutouts, 34-0 over the then-Phoenix Cardinals and 45-0 against the hapless Lions.
How futile is Washington’s 33-year streak of allowing opponents to score?
The next closest franchises are both New York squads, the Giants and the Jets, with 15.
A high number to be sure, but it pales against 33 years without the defense posting a goose egg on the scoreboard.
For more context, Cleveland, Miami, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Jacksonville, the Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans and Minnesota are just one season removed from their last display of defensive dominance.
Make no mistake, the 33-year streak by the Washington Commanders is one of the strangest in the NFL.
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