Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves proposes to his girlfriend after the team clinches its first playoff berth since 2020

Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves proposes to his girlfriend after the team clinches its first playoff berth since 2020

It was a successful evening for Washington Commander’s security detail, Jeremy Reaves, for several reasons.

After helping his team reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Reaves knelt to propose to his longtime girlfriend Mikaela Worley.

The moment came after the Washington Commanders earned a dramatic 30-24 home overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.

As the Northwest Stadium crowd celebrated the win, Reaves helped Worley down from the stands before popping the question courtside.

Morley squatted down in tears before saying “yes.” The couple then hugged while teammates walked around the celebration with the happy couple.

“I’m happy we got to share this moment with the best fans in the world!” Reeves posted after the game on X, formerly known as Twitter.

It was the perfect end to a brilliant night for the Commanders, who were led brilliantly by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels, who was the second overall pick in this year’s NFL draft and was a Heisman winner during his time at LSU, found tight end Zach Ertz for the game-winning touchdown as the Commanders’ offense wouldn’t allow the Falcons to score one in overtime to gain offensive possession of the ball.

It wasn’t an easy game for the young Commanders team as both teams traded back and forth.

For the second straight year, 24-year-old Daniels had to lead Washington to a come-from-behind victory after the Commanders trailed 17-7 at halftime.

Washington was able to erase the deficit until a two-yard touchdown run by Chris Rodriguez early in the fourth gave the team the lead for the first time since the start of the game.

However, the story of the contest was the battle between Daniels and fellow rookie Michael Penix Jr.

Penix Jr., 24, making his second career start, found tight end Kyle Pitts and tied the game at 24-24 with just under a minute left in the fourth quarter.

The Atlanta QB was selected six picks after Daniels in the 2024 NFL Draft and both struggled to keep their respective teams alive in the playoff race in the final two weeks of the season.

Although Penix Jr. threw an interception on his first possession of the game, he recovered and finished the game with 223 yards and a touchdown.

Daniels, meanwhile, showed his future All-Pro potential with the win, finishing the day 24 of 36 for 227 yards and three touchdowns – with one interception – through the air while adding 127 yards on 16 carries on the ground.

Ertz, who finished with two touchdowns, told NBC’s broadcast after the game that the league was “in the loop” with Daniels.

“Honestly, it’s been a long few years,” Ertz said. “Being able to play with Jayden at the end of my career is a huge blessing for me. The kid is – the whole league should be paying attention to him. Everyone loves playing with him. He is the ultimate team guy. He’s the ultimate leader and he just gave me a chance at the end of the game.”

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As for Daniels, not only did he bolster his resume as Offensive Rookie of the Year, he also made more NFL history in the process.

After a seven-yard run in the fourth quarter, he broke former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III’s 2012 rookie rushing mark of 815 yards. Daniels now has 864 rushing yards this season, the most ever for a rookie.

Griffin III praised the young quarterback for breaking his record in a post on social media.

“I wanted Jayden Daniels to break my rookie rushing record because I don’t care about fighting the next generation,” Griffin III posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He deserves it. He is the FUTURE. Some of these old heads need to stop drinking all this hate speech and lift these young people up instead of tearing them down.”

With the victory, not only do the Commanders book their ticket to the playoffs, but also the Los Angeles Rams.

Based on a strength of wins tiebreaker, the Rams win the NFC West over the Seattle Seahawks due to wins by the Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings in Week 17.

As for the Falcons, they are no longer in control of their own destiny for the NFC South crown.

Atlanta must beat the Carolina Panthers next week in the final game of the NFL regular season and hope for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the New Orleans Saints to secure a playoff spot.

The Commanders face the Dallas Cowboys on the road next week and Daniels says that’s all he’s looking forward to.

“We have to see a man,” Daniels said after the game. “I love my team against everyone. I love the brotherhood we have built, but we have to take it one game at a time. We’re going to Dallas (Cowboys) next week and playing there and then we’ll worry about the playoffs.”

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