.jpg)
2 hours ago
1
If there were any Washington Commanders fans still skeptical that they had something magical going for them, they'd better be believing after Sunday night.
Washington defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 after Zane Gonzalez's last-second field goal bounced off the uprights and in.
A DOINK TO THE DIVISIONAL ROUND!!!! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/TRwyX11zcZ
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2025The win gives the Commanders their first playoff victory since Jan. 7, 2006, also against the Buccaneers. It just wouldn't be a Commanders game during the late stages of the 2024-25 season without coming down to the final play.
After returning from their Week 14 bye, all four of Washington's games were virtual coin flips at the end. They won all four, starting against the New Orleans Saints on the road when they broke up a two-point conversion attempt at the buzzer. The next week they beat the Philadelphia Eagles with a go-ahead touchdown from Jayden Daniels to Jamison Crowder with mere seconds on the clock.
Then, in Week 17 with a playoff berth on the line, they beat the Atlanta Falcons in walk-off fashion. Not to outdo themselves, they finished their regular season with backup QB Marcus Mariota finding Terry McLaurin in the end zone with three seconds remaining to beat their heated rival Dallas Cowboys.
That's not even including Washington's most dramatic finish of the year, when it beat the Chicago Bears in Week 8 on a Hail Mary from Daniels to Noah Brown as time expired. It was at that moment that the Commanders, 6-2 at the time, knew they had something special. Now, thanks to yet another cinematic ending, they have their first playoff win in 19 years.
Washington, now 13-5 including the playoffs, will move on to play the top-seeded Detroit Lions in next week's Divisional Round. Whether the ride rolls on from there is anybody's guess, but win or lose, the Cardiac Commanders have officially cemented their status as the storybook team of the 2024-25 NFL season.
English (US)