Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves had two big wins on the field Sunday night, proposing to his longtime girlfriend Mikaela Worley after he and his teammates beat Atlanta in overtime to clinch a playoff spot.

“I hate losing, so there’s no way I could have done that in the right frame of mind after a loss,” Reaves said. “That thing burned a hole in my pocket.”

Reaves had considered doing so last week but ultimately decided to take the step after giving Worley’s family a heads up on Friday.

“If we win this game, it’s fate,” Reaves said. “She deserves it. I can’t say enough about her. When I was at my lowest point last year, she was there every day to pick me up. She showed up. This is my best friend. “I’ve been my best friend since high school.”

Worley was in attendance at Northwest Stadium on Sunday night, joining Reaves and his teammates on the field to celebrate the win when the 28-year-old defender got down on one knee and popped the question.

Reaves posted on X after the game: “I’m glad we got to share this moment with the best fans in the world!”

Reaves underwent surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in October 2023 and ended that season. After finally securing a full-time job in the league, he was an NFL All-Pro selection as a special teams player in the 2021 season, but last year’s injury threatened his career again.

“You can tell a lot about someone when they go through the worst and how they deal with it,” Reaves said. “I went through the worst last year when I tore my cruciate ligament. I couldn’t do anything, couldn’t be my own man and she was the crutch there when I couldn’t do it myself.”

Reaves is one of Washington’s few players remaining from the organization’s final playoff game of the 2020 season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.