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'Is this really happening?': Washington fans reflect on special 2024 season 

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If you'd told Rich Brady a few months ago that he'd be watching his beloved Burgundy & Gold play in the NFC Championship, he probably would have said, "This year's NFC Championship?!"

Like many Washington fans, Brady was excited about what the 2024 season could be for the Commanders, but few could have predicted what would actually unfold.

"It's just remarkable," Brady said. "No Washington fan will ever forget this season."

The striking parts of the season are easy to point to in terms of football data -- stats like tripling the number of wins from 2023, milestones like becoming the first Washington team to reach an NFC Championship game in 33 years and the flurry of rookie records broken by Jayden Daniels. Those numbers only tell part of the remarkable story; there are the emotions this season delivered to awaken a fan base described by some as a "sleeping giant."

Erin Harris of Roanoke, Virginia, has been a Washington fan her entire life and got even more into the team when her two kids were born. The family of four has been season ticket members for the last five years, and making a weekend of the three-and-a-half-hour trip to every home game has become a cherished tradition.

"It's just what we do as a family. Football is family, and this team has been like family," Harris said.

For Harris, family time has meant enjoying experiences and being present together, a reality that has taken on new meaning more recently as she undergoes treatment for stage four lung cancer.

"Everything is all about the moment and making memories," Harris said of her current outlook on life.

The awe-inspiring action of the last several months has created unforgettable memories and forged a connection between past and present that Harris had no idea could be so special.

"It's surreal. We pinch ourselves, like, 'Is this really happening?'" Harris said. "I wanted my kids to see what I saw as a kid, so as a mom, it just warms my heart that they can see what this team is capable of."

Watching the Commanders soar this year has brought pride to the Price family. Three generations of the Price family, scattered in various parts of the mid-Atlantic, decided to make the trip to Philadelphia together for the NFC Championship.

"This season has been the best I've seen in my entire life," said 38-year-old Jessica Price. "It feels good to be a Commanders fan. It definitely hasn't always been like that."

Jaden Price, 21, gained a particular joy from watching the man who shares her name do the incredible week in and week out for the Commanders this season.

"The most special thing for me, honestly, has been watching Jayden [Daniels] as a player. To me, that's the NFL MVP," she said.

Sixteen-year-old Savannah Bortnick, who notes the many No. 5 jerseys that have popped up around her school, also feels excitement around Washington's rookie quarterback. Throughout what she describes as the "crazy amazing" 2024 season, the Edgewater, Maryland, native noticed a change in general in the halls.

Washington Commanders vs Chicago Bears week 8

"I never really noticed many people at my school wearing jerseys or talking about it, but now they do. We have a lot of Ravens fans, too, and now we have more banter," she said with a laugh.

From the Chesapeake Bay to the streets of Washington, D.C., and the Blue Ridge Mountains, the positivity and hope the Commanders' season delivered has been tangible.

"Everyone is excited," D.C. native Shanta Holmes said. "Everywhere you look, people are high-fiving."

There is more joy around the team and more likelihood of a conversation between two strangers repping gear than in previous years because of the team's unifying power.

"I think it really helps to bring the community together," Brady said. "I was at La Plata Hospital yesterday, and there was an elderly woman with all her Redskin gear on. We stopped and spoke for a couple minutes because I had my Redskin hat. Overall, it just brings people together and just gives you hope."

For the older generations of fans, there's a distant familiarity to this coming together around Washington football. It reminds many of the '80s and '90s. Yet there's also a difference to it -- be it the personnel, the landscape of the sport or perhaps because it's followed the tough times that led to a "sleeping giant" fan base. The 2024 season had a unique, unforgettable sweetness.

"This is what it was like growing up -- must-see TV on Sunday, packed stadium, people talking about it around the water cooler on Monday," Marc Bortnick said. "It's how it's supposed to be. Just wonderful."

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