Commanders-Buccaneers on Wild Card Weekend Sunday: What We Learned from Washington's 23-20 win 

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1. Daniels continues amazing rookie season in playoffs. There were a record-tying six quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. There’s one left standing, and Jayden Daniels is standing tall. Daniels drove the Commanders for a game-winning doink-and-in field goal from Zane Gonzalez on Sunday night against the Buccaneers, propelling a once bemoaned Washington club to its first postseason win since the 2005 season. Seemingly unflappable, whether he’s scrambling out of his own end zone with a defender on his heels or when briefly bloodied by a nick under his right eye, Daniels threw for 268 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and led a hobbled Commanders running attack with 36 yards. He became the first rookie to lead his team in passing and rushing during a playoff win, per NFL Research. And why not? Daniels’ debut season has been dotted with memorable moments as much as consistent success. He dazzled in his first prime-time game to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals, heaved a Hail Mary for a win against the Chicago Bears and racked up three TD passes and 127 rushing yards in a playoff-clinching OT win over the Atlanta Falcons. Now, the remarkable rookie season of Daniels continues as he’s breathed life into a fanbase and has led the Commanders to a Divisional Round date with the top-seeded Detroit Lions next Saturday night. 
2. Fumble looms large in loss for Baker. Tapping his chest in the universal gesture that it was his fault, Baker Mayfield watched from the sidelines as his crucial fumble after a Bucs goal-line stand was turned into a Commanders go-ahead touchdown. On the ensuing Bucs drive following Mayfield’s fumbled handoff to Jalen McMillan, the QB hit the rookie wide receiver for a 26-yard pass to kick-start a hopeful go-ahead drive. The march ended in a game-tying field goal, thanks in large part to another gaffe when center Graham Barton appeared to snap the ball early, leading to a broken play for a loss. Mayfield got no other chance at redemption, forced to watch again as the Commanders drained the final 4:41 of the game and his season before Gonzalez’ game-winner. Mayfield played inspired football for much of Sunday. He threw for a pair of touchdowns, a 146.5 rating and had a highlight-reel run in which he barreled through Commanders defenders. Unfortunately, the lasting memory will be a lost fumble that squandered an outstanding Buccaneers defensive effort and loomed very large in his team’s season concluding.
3. Evans wins rivalry, Bucs lose game. An old feud was rekindled when Mike Evans and former New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore lined up against each other. Evans dominated in the first half with four receptions on four targets for 55 yards and a touchdown just before halftime with Lattimore as the nearest defender. Over the first 30 minutes, Evans had five grabs for a game-best 66 yards and the 1-yard TD. He was held to two catches for 26 yards in the second half, as the Commanders adjusted and began double-teaming the standout.
4. Dynamite performance for Commanders wide receiver. Terry McLaurin, playing in just his second-career playoff game, performed well as one would expect, hauling in seven catches for 89 yards and a 5-yard fourth-quarter touchdown. It was the dynamic play of Dyami Brown, however, that seemingly came out of nowhere and played a massive part in Washington’s win. A 2019 third-round pick who has largely underwhelmed in his career, Brown had five catches for 89 yards -- each more than he produced in a regular-season game this year -- and a 10-yard touchdown catch from Daniels. The TD culminated an odyssey of a drive, coming on the 17th (!!!) play of a 92-yard march that took 9:08 off the clock in the first half. That was Brown’s first catch of the ballgame. He had three thereafter that went for more than 20 yards. Your first playoff game is hardly a bad time to have your best game as a pro.
5. Fourth-down Dans set for ballyhooed matchup. Having taken over the Commanders' reins from “Riverboat Ron” Rivera, Dan Quinn showed he too fears no fourth down. Washington was 3 of 5 on fourth-down conversions, Quinn tipping his hand early that he wouldn’t hesitate on fourth down when he went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Tampa 20-yard line on the Commanders’ opening drive. Daniels threw an incompletion, but Quinn stayed committed to the approach. No call was bigger than going for it on fourth-and-2 from the Bucs' 5 with Washington trailing, 17-13, with 9:46 to go. This time, Daniels paid off the gamble by his coach by hitting McLaurin for a go-ahead touchdown. The call was all the more gutsy considering it came just a drive after the Bucs defense had stopped the Commanders' cold on four straight goal-to-go plays. Quinn believes in his squad, and now he’s set to face Dan Campbell, another coach who won’t hesitate on fourth down, in the Divisional Round. 

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

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