Baker Mayfield has been great for the Buccaneers all season long.

But none of them are quite like that.

The Tampa Bay quarterback, who threw a career-best 41 touchdowns during the regular season, did his job Sunday with his feet and punished several Commanders defenders. With the Commanders leading their wild-card game 10-3 in the second quarter, the Buccaneers faced third-and-9 from their own 27-yard line with 1:18 left before halftime.

Washington’s secondary left Mayfield with no options to throw, so Mayfield started in the middle of the field. Three commanders approached Mayfield before he reached the winning line. None of them made the saving first-down tackle.

Safety Percy Butler and defensive end Dorance Armstrong were closing in on Mayfield from opposite sides of the field when linebacker Bobby Wagner hit him head-on. Mayfield dropped Armstrong and threw Wagner backwards with his shoulder as he ran across the line to catch up.

Butler recovered, got hold of Mayfield and finally dragged him to the ground. But not before Mayfield recorded an 18-yard gain and a first down.

Mayfield is 6-1 and 215 pounds. Wagner is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 240 pounds. And he is an All-Pro eleven times, including this season. Mayfield won this fight hands down.

Five plays later, Mayfield found Mike Evans in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.

Without Mayfield’s first-down run, the Bucs likely would have faced a punting scenario that would have given the Commanders the ball with more than a minute left in the first half and a chance to extend a 10-3 lead. Instead, the Bucs went into halftime with a 10-10 tie.