TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — New owners. New general manager. New coach. New franchise quarterback.
This is the formula – with an emphasis on the QB – that Washington has used to achieve postseason success after nearly two decades of futility.
Jayden Daniels ran for a critical first try to set up Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yard field goal which resonated on the right pillar and crossed over time, the Commanders defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in an NFC wild-card game Sunday night for the franchise’s first playoff victory in 6,945 days.
Daniels, playing with a bandage under his right eye after his face was bloodied, became the third rookie quarterback in three years to win a playoff game.
The Commanders (13-5) will face the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (15-2) in the divisional round.
“It means a lot, man,” Daniels said. “You could just see all the fans here, man, they’re waiting for us. They’ve waited a long time for this moment and this feeling, so I’m so happy for them.
Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (10-8) missed several chances and the veteran quarterback committed expensive turnover in the fourth quarter. The Bucs couldn’t get 1 yard on two tries from the Commanders 12 and settled for a field goal to tie the game before Washington’s game-winning drive.
Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns, joining CJ Stroud and Brock Purdy as rookie QBs to win playoff games the past three seasons.
Washington had not won in the playoffs since beating the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay 17-10 in a wild-card game on January 7, 2006.
The organization’s turnaround began when Daniel Snyder sold the team in 2023 to a group led by Josh Harris that includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. They hired general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn after their first season in charge and selected Daniels with the second pick in the draft in April.
“You have to give Josh a lot of credit because we picked the right people,” Johnson said. “When you pick Adam Peters and Coach Quinn and they pick the right players, the culture changed. You’ve gone from a losing culture to a winning culture. But it’s about these players. They decided they wanted to win. They didn’t care what all the analysts said. And the right quarterback. Enough said here.
The Buccaneers opened the season with a 37-20 home victory over the Commanders in Daniels’ first game. Daniels had a breakout season, was selected to the Pro Bowl and helped Washington go from 4-13 to 12-5.
Now he sends them to Detroit to face Jared Goff and the Lions’ high-octane offense.
“We’re not going to give up until the clock hits zero,” Daniels said. “We will continue to fight until the end.”
After Tampa Bay’s defense held inside the 5 in the first minute of the fourth quarter to maintain a 17-13 lead, Mayfield gave the ball back to the Commanders when he botched a trade on a handoff to Jalen McMillan. Washington recovered at the Buccaneers 13. On fourth-and-2 from the 5, Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin in the back of the end zone for a 20-17 lead.
“It’s disappointing because I believe in this team because we have the talent and the coaching staff to go far,” Mayfield said. “I did some stupid things and it’s going to weigh on me for a while.”
Mayfield led the Buccaneers to a second-and-1 at the Commanders 12, but they settled for a 32-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin that tied it at 20-20 with 4:41 left.
The Bucs never got the ball back, thanks to Daniels, who calmly led his team down the field. With less than a minute to play, he was hit behind the line of scrimmage but ran 4 yards on third-and-2, allowing him to take a knee to set up Gonzalez’s game-winning kick.
Quinn had already missed two field goals on fourth down and the offense failed to convert before McLaurin’s TD catch.
On fourth down from the Buccaneers 4 less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Daniels threw an incomplete throw. He was pressured and threw an incomplete throw on fourth-and-2 from the Tampa Bay 20 on Washington’s first possession of the game.
“We were going to be bold but not reckless,” Quinn said.
Mayfield threw a 4-yard TD pass to Bucky Irving to give the Buccaneers a 17-13 lead in the third quarter. On the previous play, 350-pound defensive tackle Vita Vea was Mayfield’s intended receiver, but the QB was sacked for a 2-yard loss.
Mayfield threw a 1-yard TD pass to Mike Evans to tie the game at 10 late in the first half.
Gonzalez kicked a 22-yard field goal to give Washington a 13-10 lead on the first drive of the second half. The Commanders had a first down at the 3 but the Tampa Bay defense held.
After Austin Ekeler ran for 2 yards on fourth-and-1 from the Buccaneers 23 late in the first quarter, the Commanders took the lead a few plays later to complete a 92-yard drive. Daniels, his face bloodied, threw a 10-yard pass to Dyami Brown for a 7-3 lead.
A holding call on cornerback Zyon McCollum negated a third-down sack by Yaya Diaby and allowed Washington to extend its next drive that ended with Gonzalez hitting a 50-yarder for a 10-3 lead.
McLaughlin kicked a 50-yard field goal on the first drive. The Buccaneers were 9-1 when they scored the first of the regular season.
Injuries
Commanders: DT Daron Payne (finger), TE Ben Sinnott (shoulder) and LB Jordan Magee (hamstring) left the game. … Daniels taped and bandaged the gash on his face and stayed inside.
Buccaneers: DT Calijah Kancey was evaluated for a concussion and returned. …CB Jamel Dean left with a knee injury in the second half.
To be continued
Commanders: One win away from the NFC championship game.
Buccaneers: Start the offseason.
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