Washington Commanders 23, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20. Jayden Daniels threw for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns while Terry McLaurin and Dyami Brown each added 89 receiving yards with a score apiece. Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yard game-winner off the right upright sealed it with 3 seconds left. This was Washington’s first postseason win in 6,945 days.
Table of contents
- The Final Score at a Glance
- Team Stats Head to Head
- Quarterback Duel: Daniels vs Mayfield
- Receiving Leaders: Where the Yardage Came From
- Rushing Breakdown
- Special Teams and Kicking
- Defensive Leaders
- The Key Moments That Decided This Game
- Post Game Quotes
- Why This Game Mattered Beyond the Score
- Final Stat Leaders Summary
The Final Score at a Glance
| Quarter | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Commanders | 0 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 23 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Team Stats Head to Head
| Category | Washington (WAS) | Tampa Bay (TB) |
|---|---|---|
| Time of Possession | 35:26 | 24:34 |
| Total Yards | 350 | 284 |
| Total Plays | 69 | 44 |
| Yards Per Play | 5.1 | 6.5 |
| Pass Yards | 268 | 183 |
| Rush Yards | 82 | 101 |
| 1st Downs | 22 | 19 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 8/15 (53%) | 5/9 (56%) |
| 4th Down Conversions | 3/5 (60%) | 0/0 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Penalties / Yards | 5 / 39 | 7 / 65 |
| Red Zone Efficiency | 2/5 (40%) | 2/3 (67%) |
| Punts | 0 | 2 |
Washington ran 25 more plays than Tampa Bay and held the ball for nearly 11 extra minutes. That snap count squeeze made all the difference in the final drive.
Quarterback Duel: Daniels vs Mayfield
This was the main event. Two very different performances, two very different outcomes.
| Stat | Jayden Daniels (WAS) | Baker Mayfield (TB) |
|---|---|---|
| Completions / Attempts | 24 / 35 | 15 / 18 |
| Completion % | 68.6% | 83.3% |
| Passing Yards | 268 | 185 |
| Touchdowns | 2 | 2 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Fumbles / Lost | 0 / 0 | 1 / 1 |
| Yards Per Attempt | 7.7 | 10.3 |
| Passer Rating | 110.2 | 146.5 |
| QBR | 78.2 | 60.7 |
| Sacks Taken | 1 | 1 |
| Rush Attempts | 13 | 7 |
| Rush Yards | 36 | 23 |
| Long Rush | 8 | 18 |
Mayfield’s numbers look clean on paper. An 83% completion rate and a 146.5 passer rating sound elite. But QBR told the real story at 60.7, and a fumbled handoff exchange in the fourth quarter handed Washington the ball at the Tampa Bay 13. That one mistake erased everything Mayfield built.
Daniels, on the other hand, put together a complete game. He played through a gash under his right eye, converted a scramble on third down late in the game winning drive, and hit McLaurin on the go-ahead touchdown from 5 yards out on fourth down. He joined C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy as rookie quarterbacks to win a playoff game in the past three seasons.
“It means a lot, man. You could just see all the fans over here, man, they’re waiting for us. They’ve waited a long time for this moment and this feeling, so I’m just so happy for them.” — Jayden Daniels, after the win
Receiving Leaders: Where the Yardage Came From
| Player | Team | Receptions | Targets | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry McLaurin | WAS | 7 | 10 | 89 | 12.7 | 35 | 1 |
| Dyami Brown | WAS | 5 | 5 | 89 | 17.8 | 30 | 1 |
| Mike Evans | TB | 7 | 7 | 92 | 13.1 | 23 | 1 |
| Austin Ekeler | WAS | 3 | 4 | 26 | 8.7 | 18 | 0 |
| Zach Ertz | WAS | 2 | 4 | 23 | 11.5 | 14 | 0 |
| Jalen McMillan | TB | 2 | 4 | 41 | 20.5 | 26 | 0 |
| Cade Otton | TB | 2 | 2 | 32 | 16.0 | 20 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS | 4 | 5 | 22 | 5.5 | 13 | 0 |
| Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS | 3 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 8 | 0 |
| Bucky Irving | TB | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 4 | 1 |
| Rachaad White | TB | 2 | 2 | 14 | 7.0 | 13 | 0 |
McLaurin and Brown became the fifth duo in Washington franchise history to each post 85 or more receiving yards in a playoff game. Brown was especially efficient: 5 catches on 5 targets with no wasted routes.
Evans dominated the first half with 5 grabs for 66 yards and a touchdown before halftime. Washington adjusted with double coverage in the second half and held him to just 2 catches for 26 yards after the break. That is smart, playoff-level defensive adjustment.
Rushing Breakdown
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucky Irving | TB | 17 | 77 | 4.5 | 19 | 0 |
| Jayden Daniels | WAS | 13 | 36 | 2.8 | 8 | 0 |
| Austin Ekeler | WAS | 8 | 27 | 3.4 | 12 | 0 |
| Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS | 10 | 16 | 1.6 | 5 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | TB | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 18 | 0 |
| Rachaad White | TB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Marcus Mariota | WAS | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jeremy McNichols | WAS | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 |
Tampa Bay actually won the rushing battle with 101 yards to Washington’s 82. Irving looked solid with 4.5 yards per carry. But Washington’s run game served a different purpose here: clock control. Dan Quinn did not need big rushing numbers. He needed to burn time and keep the ball away from Mayfield in the fourth quarter, and that strategy worked.
Special Teams and Kicking
| Kicker | Team | FG Made / Attempted | Long FG | XP | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zane Gonzalez | WAS | 3 / 3 | 52 yards | 2 / 2 | 11 |
| Chase McLaughlin | TB | 2 / 2 | 50 yards | 2 / 2 | 8 |
Both kickers went perfect from the field. But Gonzalez’s game in Tampa deserves the spotlight.
His three field goals: 50 yards, 22 yards, and the 37 yard walk off that bounced off the inside of the right upright and dropped through with 3 seconds remaining. That 50 yarder in the second quarter and the game ender were the two biggest kicks of the night.
| Return Unit | Team | Returns | Yards | Avg | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luke McCaffrey (KR) | WAS | 2 | 60 | 30.0 | 34 |
| Rachaad White (KR) | TB | 3 | 79 | 26.3 | 30 |
| Jamison Crowder (PR) | WAS | 1 | 17 | 17.0 | 17 |
Washington punted zero times the entire game. The fourth team since 2015 to accomplish that in a playoff game and the first time Washington did it since 1945.
Defensive Leaders
| Player | Team | Tackles | Solo | Sacks | TFL | Pass Def | QB Hits | Fumble Rec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Wagner | WAS | 8 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Jeremy Chinn | WAS | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Marshon Lattimore | WAS | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lavonte David | TB | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Logan Hall | TB | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tykee Smith | TB | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. | TB | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frankie Luvu | WAS | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorance Armstrong | WAS | 4 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Greg Gaines | TB | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wagner’s fumble recovery was the play of the game from a defensive standpoint. Early in the fourth quarter, Mayfield botched a handoff exchange to Jalen McMillan. The ball hit the ground and Wagner scooped it up at the Tampa Bay 13. Washington turned that into the go-ahead touchdown four plays later. Wagner became the first Washington player with at least 0.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in a playoff game since at least 2000.
The Key Moments That Decided This Game
1. Daniels plays through blood After getting hit on a scramble late in the first quarter, Daniels took a gash under his right eye. He got it glued and bandaged and never missed a snap. The kind of toughness that separates good quarterbacks from great ones in January.
2. Gonzalez nails a 50 yarder in the second quarter With Washington leading 7 to 3, Gonzalez drilled a 50 yard field goal to push the lead to 10. That kick set the tone for a perfect night at the holder’s spot.
3. Evans gets locked down after halftime Washington’s coaching staff saw Evans picking apart their defense in the first half. They shifted to double teams in the second half and Evans went from 5 catches and 66 yards in the first 30 minutes to just 2 catches and 26 yards in the second half. Textbook adjustment.
4. Mayfield’s fumble flips the fourth quarter Tampa Bay held Washington at the goal line to start the fourth quarter and took a 17 to 13 lead. Then Mayfield fumbled a handoff exchange on the very next possession. Bobby Wagner recovered at the 13. Washington scored in 4 plays. Game over in terms of momentum.
5. Daniels to McLaurin on fourth and 2 from the 5 Down 17 to 13 with 9:46 left, Dan Quinn called for it on fourth down. Daniels found McLaurin in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown. That was the third fourth down conversion of the night for Washington, the most in a single playoff game in franchise history since at least 2000.
6. Gonzalez’s walk off field goal With 3 seconds on the clock, Gonzalez lined up a 37 yarder. The kick clanged off the inside of the right upright and dropped through. Washington 23, Tampa Bay 20. Season over for the Bucs.
Post Game Quotes
“We’re not going to give up until the clock hits zero. We’re going to keep fighting until the end.” — Jayden Daniels
“It’s disappointing because I believe in this team because we have the talent and the coaching staff to go far. I did some dumb stuff and it’ll wear on me for a while.” — Baker Mayfield, on the fourth quarter fumble
“We were going to be bold but not reckless.” — Dan Quinn, on Washington’s aggressive fourth down philosophy
Why This Game Mattered Beyond the Score
Washington had not won a playoff game since January 7, 2006, a stretch of 6,945 days. The franchise went through ownership changes, coaching turnover, and years of losing seasons before Josh Harris’ ownership group bought the team in 2023. They brought in GM Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn, then drafted Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 pick.
This win sent Washington to the divisional round against the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions. It also sent a message: Daniels is a playoff quarterback.
For Tampa Bay, the season ended on a botched handoff and a field goal that banged through on the final play. Mayfield played well enough to win for most of the night, but one turnover at the worst possible time cost the Buccaneers their postseason.
For full player by player breakdowns from this NFC Wild Card matchup, check out MatchVsPlayerStats for detailed game logs and head to head comparisons.
Final Stat Leaders Summary
| Category | Leader | Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | Jayden Daniels (WAS) | 268 yards, 2 TD |
| Receiving Yards | Mike Evans (TB) | 92 yards, 1 TD |
| Rushing Yards | Bucky Irving (TB) | 77 yards |
| Tackles | Bobby Wagner (WAS) / Lavonte David (TB) | 8 each |
| Field Goals | Zane Gonzalez (WAS) | 3/3, game winner |
| Key Turnover | Bobby Wagner (WAS) | Fumble recovery at TB 13 |
