Zane Gonzalez kicked a dramatic 37-yard field goal off the post as time expired to see the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in a thrilling NFL wild-card game.
Jayden Daniels ran for a critical first down to set up Gonzalez’s 37-yard field goal attempt, which hit the right upright and went over to give Washington its first playoff win in 6,945 days.
Daniels, playing with a bandage under his right eye after his face was bloodied, became the third rookie in three years to win a playoff game as the Commanders (13-5) set up a showdown with the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (15-2) in the division phase.
Jaden Daniels marked the Commanders’ NFL season extension
Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (10-8) missed several opportunities and the veteran quarterback committed a costly turnover in the fourth quarter. tied before Washington’s game-winning drive.
Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns, joining C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy as rookie QBs to win playoff games in the last three seasons as Washington made its first postseason appearance since 2006.
Commanders created the Lions display
The Buccaneers opened the season with a 37-20 home win against the Commanders in Daniels’ first game.
Now he’s steered them to Detroit to face Jared Goff and the Lions’ high-octane offense.
“It means a lot, man,” Daniels said. “You can just see all the fans here, man, they’ve been waiting for this moment and this feeling, so I’m so happy for them “.
After holding Tampa Bay’s defense to five and holding a 17-13 lead in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Mayfield gave the Commanders the ball right back when he mishandled a pass to Jaylen McMillan.
Washington recovered at the Buccaneers 13. On fourth-and-two from the five, Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin in the end zone for a 20-17 lead.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans tackles Washington Commanders safety Quan Martin, bottom right, and linebacker Dante Fowler Jr., foreground left, during the second half.
Mayfield drove the Buccaneers to a second-and-one at the Commanders 12, but they settled for Chase McLaughlin’s 32-yard field goal to tie the game 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 left, he was hit behind the line of scrimmage, but gained four yards on third-and-two, allowing him to kneel down Gonzalez. the winning shot.
What next?
Wild Card Weekend concludes Monday night when the Minnesota Vikings take on the Los Angeles Rams early Tuesday morning at 1:00 p.m.
The divisional round begins next weekend when the Chiefs travel to play the Lions on Saturday night (Sunday, 1:00 UK time), after the Houston Texans take on the Kansas City Chiefs (9:30 p.m. UK time) :
Super Bowl LIX will take place on Sunday, February 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, live on Sky Sports NFL. Stream the NFL and more sports with NOW.
