TAMPA — The Washington Commanders continue to prove one thing this season: They’re ahead of schedule. And they know how to win close games.
Washington, which won eight more games this season than a year ago, won yet another game with a dramatic late finish. The latest — a 37-yard Zane Gonzalez field goal to beat Tampa Bay, 23-20 — provided Washington with its first playoff win since 2005.
It’s become a habit for a team that loves talking about “winning moments” and coach Dan Quinn said he focused more on late-game situations in practice than he had at any point in his career.
It has mattered all season. Few teams are as tested in late-game situations as Washington. The Commanders ended the regular season with five straight wins — three occurred on the last play from scrimmage and a fourth ended with Washington stopping a two-point conversion on the final play.
Earlier this season, Washington beat Chicago on a 52-yard Hail Mary pass at the buzzer and also beat the New York Giants in Week 2 on a last-second field goal.
The season represents a quick turnaround for a team that went 4-13 last season. But the Commanders’ late-game success enabled them to go 12-5 in the regular season in Quinn’s first season. Quarterback Jayden Daniels was a huge key in Sunday’s win, but the Washington defense allowed only 284 yards, slowing the Bucs’ high-powered offense.
Here are the most important things to know from Sunday night for both teams:
Pivotal play: For the fourth time in the game, Washington went for it on fourth down. This time it was from the Tampa 5-yard line with 9:46 left. The Commanders had just failed on a fourth-and-goal from the 3, but this time Daniels connected with receiver Terry McLaurin for the touchdown and 20-17 lead. It was McLaurin’s 11th red zone touchdown catch of the season; he had 11 in his first five years combined. The drive was set up by linebacker Bobby Wagner‘s fumble recovery at the Tampa 13.
QB breakdown: Daniels did not look like a rookie playing his first playoff game. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for another 36 yards on 13 carries. He also made plays he could not make in the season opening loss to Tampa because of one big change: He kept his eyes downfield when he scrambled. It resulted in key plays, such as a nine-yard completion to tight end Zach Ertz on a third-and-6 from their own 12-yard line.
Troubling trend: Cornerback Marshon Lattimore has not played the way Washington hoped in his two games against big-time receivers since being acquired from New Orleans ahead of the trade deadline. He was flagged for three pass interference penalties versus Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown on Dec. 22 and one against Mike Evans Sunday night. Evans got open against Lattimore whenever needed, making Lattimore look like a player who had played in just two games since Oct. 27 because of left hamstring issues. — John Keim
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have gone for it while they had the chance.
They had the opportunity to tie or take the lead on fourth-and-3 at the Washington 14-yard line with 4:45 to go and kicked a tying field goal to make it 20-20. ESPN Analytics disagreed with that decision, having their win probability at 46.1% (57.4% chance to convert), whereas their win probability on a field goal was 43.6% with a 93.2% chance to make the field goal.
After the Bucs tied it up, Washington strung together chunk pass plays of 21, 18 and 8 yards while eating up valuable clock time, setting up the Commanders’ 37-yard game-winning field goal.
Pivotal play: After a hard-fought goal-line stand at the Tampa Bay 3 that preserved the Bucs’ 17-13 lead, Baker Mayfield fumbled a handoff that was recovered by Commanders linebacker Wagner at the Tampa Bay 13. With Josh Hayes stepping in for injured cornerback Jamel Dean, Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on an in-route to retake the lead 20-17 with 9:46 to go. It was the first time in six games that the Bucs had allowed a second-half touchdown.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Bucs’ defense could not get off the field. The Commanders were 8-of-15 on third down, none bigger than Daniels’ keeper around the right side in the final minute. Their zone defense struggled against plays going across the field, including a 30-yard reception by Dyami Brown, and in-routes, such as Brown’s 10-yard touchdown, and 17- and 18-yard receptions by McLaurin. And then penalties, they had seven for 65 yards.
Most surprising performance: Evans vs. Lattimore is typically a more tightly contested matchup but it was all Evans. The Bucs top receiver caught all five targets with Lattimore as the nearest defender for 73 yards and a touchdown. It was the second-highest receiving total Evans has had in his career against Lattimore, behind a 115-yard performance in 2018. Evans had seven receptions for 92 yards on the night. — Jenna Laine