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1. Daniels continues his great rookie season in the playoffs. A record six quarterbacks were selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. There’s one left, and Jayden Daniels stands upright. Daniels drove the Commanders to a game-winning field goal Zane González on Sunday night against the Buccaneers, giving a once-lamented Washington club its first postseason win since the 2005 season. Seemingly unflappable, whether he’s climbing out of his own end zone with a defender on his heels or momentarily bloody from a scrape under his right eye Daniels threw for 268 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and led a stymied Commanders running attack with 36 yards rushing. According to NFL Research, he became the first rookie to lead his team in passing and rushing in a playoff victory. And why not? Daniels’ debut season was filled with both memorable moments and consistent success. He shined in his first prime-time game, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, threw a Hail Mary in a win over the Chicago Bears, and collected three TD passes and 127 rushing yards in a playoff-clinching OT win over the Atlanta Falcons. Now Daniels’ remarkable rookie season continues as he has breathed life into a fan base and led the Commanders to a Divisional Round date with the top-seeded Detroit Lions next Saturday night.
2. Fumble threatens to be a big loss for Baker. He tapped his chest with the universal gesture that it was his fault, Baker Mayfield He watched from the sideline as his game-winning fumble after a Bucs goal line stand turned into a Commanders touchdown. On the Bucs’ ensuing drive after Mayfield’s fumbled handoff Jalen McMillanThe QB hit the rookie wide receiver for a 26-yard pass to provide a hopeful go-ahead score. The march ended with a game-winning field goal, thanks in large part to another fumble at center Graham Barton appeared to grab the ball early, resulting in a suspended game and a loss. Mayfield had no other chance for redemption and once again had to watch as the Commanders tied up the final 4:41 minutes of the game and his season before Gonzalez’s game-winning goal. Mayfield played enthusiastic football for most of Sunday. He threw two touchdowns, posted a 146.5 rating and had a highlight-reel run in which he ripped through the Commanders’ defenders. Unfortunately, the lasting memory will be a losing fumble that wiped out an outstanding defensive performance by the Buccaneers and played a big role in his team’s season finish.
3. Evans wins rivalry, Bucs lose game. An old feud was reignited when Mike Evans and former New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore lined up against each other. Evans dominated the first half with four receptions on four targets for 55 yards and a touchdown just before halftime, with Lattimore the closest defender. In the first 30 minutes, Evans had five grabs for a game-high 66 yards and 1-yard TD. He had two catches for 26 yards in the second half as the Commanders adjusted and began playing the standout in double combinations.
4. Dynamite performance for Commanders wide receivers. Terry McLaurinPlaying in just his second career playoff game, he performed well as expected, making seven catches for 89 yards and a 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was the dynamic game of Dyami BrownHowever, this seemingly came out of nowhere and played a big role in Washington’s victory. Brown, a 2019 third-round pick who has largely underperformed in his career, had five catches for 89 yards — each more than he had in a regular-season game this year — and a 10-yard touchdown catch Daniels. The TD culminated a drive odyssey when he completed a 92-yard march on the 17th (!!!) play that lasted 9:08 seconds in the first half. That was Brown’s first catch of the ballgame. After that, he had three balls that went more than 20 yards. Your first playoff game is hardly a bad time to play your best game as a professional.
5. The fourth-placed Dans are preparing for an acclaimed duel. After taking over the leadership of the Commanders from “Riverboat Ron” Rivera, Dan Quinn showed that he too is not afraid of fourth place. Washington was 3 of 5 converting fourth downs, and Quinn indicated early on that he wouldn’t hesitate on fourth down when he ran a fourth-and-2 from the Tampa 20-yard line on the Commanders’ opening drive scored goals. Daniels threw an incompletion throw, but Quinn stuck with his approach. No decision was more important than getting the ball on the Bucs’ fourth-and-2 play, trailing 17-13 with 9:46 left. This time, Daniels paid off his coach’s gamble by hitting McLaurin for a touchdown. The call was all the bolder considering it came just one drive after the Bucs defense stopped the Commanders’ cold on four consecutive goal-to-go plays. Quinn believes in his team and will now face Dan Campbell in the divisional round, another coach who won’t hesitate to finish fourth.

Next Gen Stats for Commanders-Buccaneers (via NFL Pro): Baker Mayfield completed 15 of 18 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, recording his highest single-game completion percentage since joining the Buccaneers (65.2%).

NFL Research: Jayden Daniels is the first Washington rookie quarterback to win a playoff game since Hall of Famer Sammy Baugh in 1937. Baugh led the team to a 28-21 victory over the Chicago Bears in the NFL Championship in the franchise’s first season in Washington.