The Washington Commanders exceeded expectations by 100 miles in their first season as a rebuild.

Now, after a (12-5) regular season finish, the Commanders have earned their first playoff win since 2005.

After the Commanders put together another impressive performance that resulted in a game-winning field goal that bounced off the right upright before going over the crossbar to secure the win, the scene in the locker room was one of pure celebration.

“Talent, culture and people,” majority owner Josh Harris said after the game.

Magic Johnson, who has a minority stake in the team, also dealt with the media after the wild card win in Tampa.

“We picked the right people,” Johnson said. “We brought in Adam Peters and Coach Quinn and changed the culture from a losing culture to a winning culture. And the players, how about that quarterback?”

Johnson and Harris make the best arguments – and were also the architects of one of the most unlikely twists in recent NFL history.

For more than two decades, this franchise was marred by controversy, drama, dysfunction and defeat while Dan Snyder was the team’s owner.

And then Harris eventually bought the team, hired Adam Peters as GM, and they worked together to bring in the team’s next head coach, former Dallas Cowboys DC Dan Quinn.

Quinn has instilled a culture in Washington where it is clear that players will buy in right away. This is a team that finished last year with four wins and is now traveling to Detroit to play the Lions in the second round of the NFC playoffs.

While the Cowboys appear to be trending in the wrong direction, it’s fair to wonder whether Quinn’s departure – after leading the Cowboys to top-five defensive finishes during his tenure – played a role in the downfall of Washington’s rival .

Quinn brought in former Cowboys DL coach Joe Whitt Jr. and lured players like Dante Fowler Jr., Dorrance Armstrong and Tyler Biadaz to Washington this offseason.

Former Dallas Cowboys star Dez Bryant took to social media after Washington’s playoff win on Sunday night to not only praise Quinn and the Commanders, but also, along the way, upset his former team.

“Dan Quinn turned a once-struggling franchise into a playoff contender that won its playoff game,” Bryant posted on straightforward… like I always do.”

Bryant didn’t stop there. While he was there, he said Quinn was one of the main reasons for the Cowboys’ success, making a bold statement to say the least.

“Dan Quinn made Dallas hot again for a brief moment and if anyone says otherwise they’re fucking lying…he didn’t turn anyone into stars!”