Baker Mayfield’s fumble hands Commanders a 20-17 lead

The Buccaneers held the Commanders out of the end zone once. Baker Mayfield asked them to do it twice, and they came up one play short.

Jayden Daniels 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin on fourth-and-goal has given the Commanders a 20-17 lead with 9:46 remaining.

Less than five minutes earlier, the Bucs had left the field holding the Commanders out of the end zone with Washington coming away with no points from first-and-goal from the 1. Daniels threw incomplete and Calijah Kancey stopped Brian Robinson for a 2-yard loss before back-to-back incompletions by Daniels. Lavontae David could have been called for defensive pass interference on the fourth-down play when he held Zach Ertz.

The Commanders, though, got the ball back when Mayfield fumbled an exchange with no one around him. Bobby Wagner recovered at the Tampa Bay 13.

The Commanders cashed in, with the Bucs giving up a touchdown in the second half for the first time in six games. Tampa Bay allowed a total of nine points in the second half of the past five games.

The Bucs will have to play the rest of the game without cornerback Jamel Dean (knee).