TAMPA — This season, the Washington Commanders have shown once again that they are ahead of schedule. They are also skilled at winning close games.
With a thrilling late finish, Washington, which has won eight more games this season than it did the previous one, won another game. Washington won their first playoff game since 2005 thanks to the most recent one, a 37-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez that defeated Tampa Bay 23–20.
It has become second nature to a club that enjoys discussing “winning moments,” and coach Dan Quinn claimed that he practiced late-game scenarios more than he had ever done in his career.
All season, it has been significant. Washington is one of the few teams that is put to the test in late-game scenarios. The Commanders had five consecutive victories at the close of the regular season; three of those victories came on the final play of scrimmage, while the fourth came when Washington stopped a two-point convert on the last play.
Washington defeated the New York Giants in Week 2 with a last-second field goal and defeated Chicago earlier in the season with a 52-yard Hail Mary throw at the bell.
For a club that finished 4–13 the previous season, this season marks a rapid turnaround. In Quinn’s debut season, Commanders went 12-5 in the regular season thanks to their late-game success. Although quarterback Jayden Daniels had a major role in the victory on Sunday, the Bucs’ potent offense was slowed by the Washington defense, which gave up just 284 yards.
The following are the key takeaways for both teams from Sunday night:
Crucial play: Washington went for it on fourth down for the fourth time throughout the game. With 9:46 remaining, it came from the Tampa 5-yard line this time. This time, Daniels found receiver Terry McLaurin for the score and 20–17 lead after the Commanders had just missed a fourth-and-goal from the three. McLaurin had caught 11 red zone touchdowns in his prior five seasons combined, making it his eleventh of the season. Linebacker Bobby Wagner’s fumble recovery at the Tampa 13 opened up the drive.
QB analysis: Daniels didn’t appear to be a rookie in his first postseason appearance. He gained 268 yards and two touchdowns on 24 of 35 passes. On 13 carries, he ran for an additional 36 yards. One significant adjustment was that he kept his eyes downfield while he scrambled, which allowed him to make plays he was unable to make in the season-opening loss to Tampa. Key plays followed, including a third-and-six from their own 12-yard line that ended in a 9-yard connection to tight end Zach Ertz.
Worrying trend: Since being acquired from New Orleans prior to the trade deadline, cornerback Marshon Lattimore has not performed as Washington had hoped in his two games against elite receivers. He received three flags for pass interference against A.J. Brown of Philadelphia on December 22 and one against Mike Evans on Sunday night. Lattimore looked like a player who had only played in two games since October 27 due to left hamstring problems since Evans was always open against him. — Keim, John
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
When the Buccaneers got the opportunity, they ought to have taken advantage of it.
With 4:45 remaining, they had a fourth-and-three at the Washington 14-yard line that would have tied the score or put them ahead, and they made a game-winning field goal to make it 20–20. With a win probability of 46.1% (57.4% chance to convert) if going for it and a win probability of 43.6% (93.2% chance to make the field goal) if going for it, ESPN Analytics disagreed with that selection.
Washington used up important clock time by stringing consecutive pass plays of 21, 18, and 8 yards after the Bucs knotted the score. This allowed the Commanders to make the game-winning field goal from 37 yards out.
Crucial play: At the Tampa Bay 13, Baker Mayfield mishandled a pass that Commanders linebacker Wagner recovered after a fierce goal-line stand at the Tampa Bay 3 that kept the Bucs’ 17–13 advantage intact. With 9:46 remaining, Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on an in-route to regain the lead 20–17, with Josh Hayes replacing injured cornerback Jamel Dean. The Bucs gave up a second-half touchdown for the first time in six games.
The Bucs’ defense was unable to leave the field, which was the biggest flaw in the strategy. In the last minute, Daniels’ keeper around the right side was the only player larger than the Commanders, who were 8 of 15 on third down. Their zone defense had trouble stopping plays that went over the field, like Dyami Brown’s 30-yard reception, and in-routes, like Brown’s 10-yard touchdown and McLaurin’s 17- and 18-yard grabs. They had seven penalties for 65 yards after that.
