SNIDER: Maybe this is the Commanders comeback season?

Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn felt like Jim Valvano.

Screaming. Hands in the air. Running around like a madman. Pure joy. Valvano set the standard of the latter when winning the 1983 NCAA basketball championship. Now Quinn was running amuck on the Northwest Stadium field with the same glee as his players celebrating across the field.

A miracle just happened. Washington beat the Chicago Bears 18-15 on a tipped Hail Mary that was so full of grace for the Commanders.

"I felt, rest in peace, a little like Jim Valvano just running around, not sure what to do and where to go," Quinn said. "A lot of the big guys beat the hell out of me, so it's a wonder why they play in the NFL, and I never did. Yelling at me and hugging and I feel like I'm six inches off the ground with a big hug. So, honestly, it was just a wild moment."

The wildest moment since the stadium's 1997 opening. Maybe a defining moment of a season when the Commanders turned around a generation of losing thanks to a new owner, coaches, front office and roster.

Karma has finally come home to Washington.

How many times has Washington seen the other team steal a win? Countless times. Whether it was the Redskins, Football Team or Commanders, they were always on the bad side of Hail Marys.

"Stuff usually does not come out on top for us," said defensive tackle Daron Payne.

No more. This truly wouldn't have happened if Dan Snyder still owned the team. He would have traded everything to Chicago to draft Caleb Williams rather than wait to pick Jayden Daniels. And, it hasn't taken long to see Daniels is the better passer.

But Snyder is gone. So are all of his henchmen and a coaching staff and front office that couldn't win.

And now Lady Luck threw Washington a win after, moments earlier, Chicago looked like last-minute thieves.

What does a midseason victory over a respectable opponent mean to Washington? Well, it confirms this is no half-season success. This team is the real deal.

More importantly, it's a hallelujah moment for a city awaiting a presidential election and possible chaos. Fences are erected around the White House and Capitol. Businesses are weighing whether to board up for the Nov. 5 election. It's going to be a tense couple of weeks.

But this victory is so remindful of the 1970s through 1991 when the Redskins were one thing everyone around town adored. Sunday afternoon parties. Monday morning celebrations with co-workers. This town revolved around Sundays in the fall. Young fans today just can't imagine it. But, they're about to see it return once more.

All the misery generated by the team over the past generation vanished with that Hail Mary. Fans who wondered what it must be like in Kansas City now see winning enveloping the city, where both sides celebrate rather than one political party.

Maybe this season doesn't end with a parade down Constitution Ave., but the Commanders are the second-best NFC team to Detroit. And the last time it reached the NFC Championship in 1991, Washington beat Detroit en route to its third Super Bowl championship.

Football is fun once more in Washington.