# 1989 Washington Redskins season

The 1989 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 58th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 53rd in Washington, D.C. They improved on their 7–9 record from 1988 to 10–6 in 1989, finishing third in the NFC East. However, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

## Offseason

1989 Washington Redskins Draft :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 3 | 66 | Tracy Rocker | Defensive tackle | Auburn |
| 4 | 110 | Erik Affholter | Wide receiver | USC |
| 5 | 129 | Tim Smiley | Defensive back | Arkansas State |
| 5 | 139 | Lybrant Robinson | Defensive end | Delaware State |
| 6 | 149 | A.J. Johnson | Defensive back | Southwest Texas State |
| 7 | 179 | Kevin Hendrix | Linebacker | South Carolina |
| 9 | 233 | Charles Darrington | Tight end | Kentucky |
| 10 | 263 | Mark Schlereth | Guard | Idaho |
| 12 | 316 | Jimmie Johnson | Tight end | Howard |
| 12 | 317 | Joe Mickles | Running back | Mississippi |

## Regular season

In a week 14 victory against the San Diego Chargers, Joe Gibbs achieved career victory no. 100

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 11 | New York Giants | L 24–27 | 0–1 | RFK Stadium | 54,160 | Recap |
| 2 | September 17 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 37–42 | 0–2 | RFK Stadium | 53,493 | Recap |
| 3 | September 24 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 30–7 | 1–2 | Texas Stadium | 63,200 | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | at New Orleans Saints | W 16–14 | 2–2 | Louisiana Superdome | 64,358 | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | Phoenix Cardinals | W 30–28 | 3–2 | RFK Stadium | 53,335 | Recap |
| 6 | October 15 | at New York Giants | L 17–20 | 3–3 | Giants Stadium | 76,245 | Recap |
| 7 | October 22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 32–28 | 4–3 | RFK Stadium | 53,862 | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 24–37 | 4–4 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 52,781 | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | Dallas Cowboys | L 3–13 | 4–5 | RFK Stadium | 53,187 | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 10–3 | 5–5 | Veterans Stadium | 65,443 | Recap |
| 11 | November 20 | Denver Broncos | L 10–14 | 5–6 | RFK Stadium | 52,975 | Recap |
| 12 | November 26 | Chicago Bears | W 38–14 | 6–6 | RFK Stadium | 50,044 | Recap |
| 13 | December 3 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 29–10 | 7–6 | Sun Devil Stadium | 38,870 | Recap |
| 14 | December 10 | San Diego Chargers | W 26–21 | 8–6 | RFK Stadium | 47,693 | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 31–30 | 9–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 37,501 | Recap |
| 16 | December 23 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 29–0 | 10–6 | Kingdome | 60,294 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Standings

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| New York Giants$^{(2)}$ | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 348 | 252 | W3 |
| Philadelphia Eagles$^{(4)}$ | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 7–1 | 8–4 | 342 | 274 | W1 |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–4 | 8–4 | 386 | 308 | W5 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–6 | 4–8 | 258 | 377 | L6 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 15 | 0 | .063 | 1–7 | 1–13 | 204 | 393 | L7 |

## Awards and honors

* Charles Mann, Pro Bowl selection