Jayden Daniels shines against Bucs for Commanders’ first playoff win since 2005 season: Takeaways

By Ben Standig, Mike Jones and Cale Clinton

The Washington Commanders earned their first playoff victory since the 2005 season after Zane Gonzalez made a game-winning field goal to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 on Sunday night. The Commanders will then travel to Detroit to face the top-seeded Lions in the divisional round.

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Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was the star of the night, as he has been for much of Washington’s turnaround season. He finished the night 24-of-35 passing for 268 yards and two touchdowns, while also being the team’s leading rusher with 13 carries for 36 yards. Daniels joins Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez and Russell Wilson as the only rookie quarterbacks to win their first career playoff games on the road.

Commanders receiver Dyami Brown had a career night. He took over in the second half, finishing the game with 89 yards and a touchdown on a career-high five receptions. For the Buccaneers, Mike Evans won the next installment of his rivalry with cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Evans recorded a game-high 92 receiving yards and a touchdown while hitting all seven of his targets.

The Buccaneers will have a lot to think about this offseason after being sunk by crucial mistakes throughout Sunday’s game. Nearly running out of time in the middle of a two-minute drill late in the first half, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles was saved by a defensive pass interference pass from Lattimore that ultimately allowed a touchdown of Evans. Bowles then let a minute elapse in the final moments of the game before the Commanders’ game-winning field goal.

Baker Mayfield, who completed 15 of 18 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, also committed a crucial fumble on a botched handoff inside the Buccaneers 20-yard line. The commanders recovered it and converted it into a go-ahead landing.

Daniels is the man

Rookies usually disappear during their playoff debut. Daniels is not usual. The rookie quarterback didn’t blink in his playoff debut. He repeatedly completed passes on third and fourth downs. He ran when needed and avoided passers. Terry McLaurin’s rush of touchdowns continued.

On Washington’s final drive, Daniels completed all three passes for 44 yards and converted a third-and-2 from the Buccaneers 19-yard line. At no point did he seem rattled or nervous, another trait of a spectacular season that is not over. The presumed Offensive Rookie of the Year remained mostly as collected and calm as she did through 17 regular-season games.

Now he has a chance to become the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Washington will be a heavy underdog against Detroit. Count Daniels at your own risk. — Ben Standig, the commanders beat the writer

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Lattimore struggles in rematch against Evans

The high-profile Lattimore-Evans match fizzled from Washington’s perspective. Former NFC South rivals with a fiery rivalry involving fighting, evictions and suspension have proven to be a back-and-forth affair. Instead, Evans dominated, catching all seven of his targets for 92 yards and a 1-yard touchdown.

Most of the production came against Lattimore in his return to action after missing two games with a lingering hamstring injury. The cornerback was flagged for two pass interference penalties, including a blatant hug on Evans in the end zone. The towering receiver’s touchdown came on the next play.

The Commanders coaching staff adapted soon after. Lattimore missed a few plays on Tampa Bay’s second drive, but he was on the field for Bucky Irving’s 4-yard touchdown run. He just wasn’t into Evans. Instead of traveling with the Bucs big man, Lattimore stayed on the right side.

After making the deal at the trade deadline for the four-time Pro Bowler that sent the 2025 third and fourth picks to New Orleans, that wasn’t what Washington envisioned. The hamstring cost Lattimore six regular season games for the Commanders, one more than the number of pass interference penalties called on Lattimore in his last two games.

This trade was not considered a short-term play. Lattimore’s contract runs through 2026, but there is no guaranteed money remaining for the final two years. — Standig

What can Brown do for you?

You never know which player becomes an unsung hero. Brown rose to the occasion in his first playoff appearance. The fourth-year player produced little in those first three seasons, but caught the attention of coach Dan Quinn this summer with his hard work and speed on the court. This belief bore fruit. Brown totaled 89 yards – his most since Week 5 of the 2022 season.

His 10-yard reception in the second quarter put the Commanders on the board, and he added a 21-yard catch on third-and-6 from Washington territory on the go-ahead run. — Standig

Self-inflicted wounds cost buccaneers at home

The Buccaneers were the only higher-ranked team to lose in Saturday and Sunday’s wild-card games. Their match against Washington was also the most competitive of the first round.

Penalties hindered Tampa Bay during a slow start and put the Bucs in longer yardage situations. Then, defensive miscues allowed Washington to convert on three of five fourth-down plays (including the touchdown play that gave the Commanders a 20-17 lead midway through the fourth quarter). The fumble at the 13 positioned Washington for that fourth lead play.

The Buccaneers needed a stop in the final 4:41 minutes of action, but with the score tied, Tampa’s defensive backs struggled in pass coverage and allowed Daniels to complete all three of his attempts. pass and let him run four yards for the crucial first down. third-and-2 with 39 seconds left, setting up the game-winning field goal.

The Bucs have encountered all kinds of calamities this season and have shown great resilience. However, they couldn’t pull it off on Sunday. — Mike Jones, Senior NFL Writer

Tampa Bay’s rushing attack fails

Offensive inconsistencies also hurt the offense. For the first half, Mayfield was the team’s most productive offensive weapon, leading the Bucs in rushing while also directing two scoring drives, finishing one with a passing touchdown.

The Bucs had their rushing attack with Irving in the third quarter. But then they couldn’t get the crucial yards they needed in the red zone with less than five minutes to play and had to settle for a game-tying field goal rather than a lead-taking touchdown. — Jones

Required reading

(Photo: Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)