Add another line to Jayden Daniels’ sterling resume from his debut NFL season.
The rookie quarterback led the Washington Commanders on a drive for a last-second field goal that secured a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs, marking the first postseason win for the franchise in 19 years. The drought was the third-longest in the NFL, trailing only the Miami Dolphins (24 seasons) and the Las Vegas Raiders (22).
After getting the ball back with less than five minutes remaining and the game tied, Daniels and running back Austin Ekeler guided the Commanders on a 10-play, 51-yard drive to set up a 37-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez that bounced off the upright and through for the final advantage.
Daniels, who threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-35 passing, became just the fourth rookie quarterback in NFL history to win his first career playoff start on the road.
Washington was the only lower seed to topple a hosting team in this weekend’s five games. The Commanders will face the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the divisional round on Saturday, with the Philadelphia Eagles set to take on the winner of Monday night’s contest between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings.
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Daniels and Washington appeared to be in a bind when, trailing 17-13 early in the fourth quarter, the offense’s long drive was stonewalled despite the unit having a first-and-goal from the Tampa Bay 1-yard line. But after linebacker Bobby Wagner recovered a fumble by Baker Mayfield, Daniels delivered on a fourth-and-2 play by finding Terry McLaurin for a 5-yard touchdown.
The No. 2 overall pick and overwhelming favorite for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was bloodied after a big hit from Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum in the second quarter left him with a cut to his right cheek, but he remained in the game.
This story has been updated with new information.