It should have been a stressful occasion. Washington had a chance to win the game despite facing third-and-one while traveling for the NFL playoffs.
However, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was observed chuckling on the field while conversing with Tampa Bay defenders across the line of scrimmage during a brief pause in play with just 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Daniels has had a terrific first season and has not seemed to mind a large stage. Daniels has consistently delivered in unexpected ways that belie his inexperience, from his Hail Mary touchdown to defeat Chicago to his 12 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and overtime, the most ever by a rookie quarterback.
In Tampa Bay, that continued on Sunday.
After slugging it out with the Buccaneers defense, Daniels made that game-winning field goal from 37 yards out in the last minute to help Washington defeat Tampa Bay 23–20. After five lead changes and five courageous Commanders fourth-down efforts, the game ended with Zane Gonzalez’s punt bouncing off the right upright and through as time ran out.
The Commanders will now play Detroit, the top seed in the NFC, in the divisional round of the playoffs. It was Washington’s first postseason victory since the 2005 campaign. Daniels, who was just five years old at the time, became just the fourth rookie quarterback in NFL history to win in a road playoff game on Sunday. He ran for a team-high 36 yards and completed 24 of 35 throws for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
After throwing for 185 yards and two touchdowns for Tampa, Baker Mayfield fumbled in the fourth quarter, which allowed Washington to score a touchdown and take a 20–17 lead. It never again lost the lead.
It was the last game on a day that saw Philadelphia and Buffalo both progress to the divisional round of the playoffs the following week.
The Bills handily defeated Denver, 31-7, to maintain their undefeated home record this season. Josh Allen has two touchdowns and 272 yards on his pass. Buffalo was a perfect 3-for-3, but the Broncos missed a field goal. Neither team committed a turnover.
In its 22–10 loss to Philadelphia, Green Bay was troubled right away, misfiring on its first kickoff in the first of four Packers errors. Among them were three of quarterback Jordan Love’s interceptions. After missing his previous two games due to concussion protocol, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts appeared unconcerned, and Saquon Barkley contributed 119 running yards.
Houston’s outstanding defensive performance, which included four interceptions of Justin Herbert, and Baltimore’s ongoing dominance on the ground by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry earned them tickets to the divisional round on Saturday.