The 1996 season was the Washington Redskins' 65th in the National Football League, and their 61st since the franchise moved to Washington, D.C. It was their last season playing at RFK Stadium, where they had played since 1961. They began the season aiming to improve on their 6âÂÂ10 record from the year before, but after winning seven of their first eight games, they managed just two victories in the second half of the season and finished with a 9âÂÂ7 record. By virtue of their inferior intra-conference record (6âÂÂ6) compared to the Minnesota Vikings (8âÂÂ4), the Redskins became the first team since the 1988 New Orleans Saints to start the season 7âÂÂ1 and not make the playoffs.
Although the Redskins' offense was eighth in the league in scoring, their defense surrendered 2,275 rushing yards (142.2 yards per game), the most in the NFL that year. Statistics site Football Outsiders calculated that the team had the worst run defense they had ever tracked. At the end of the season, in a 37âÂÂ10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, past and present Redskins greats were honored at halftime.