The Washington Commanders managed to pull out a 23-19 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in the final seconds on Sunday, snatching the victory from the rapidly closing jaws of defeat and clinching the No. 6 seed in the NFC, where they will play the Los Angeles Rams. Or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next weekend.
The Commanders were fighting for seeding in this game, and head coach Dan Quinn had this in mind when starting QB Jayden Daniels in the first half. But Daniels wasn’t great, going 6 of 12 for 38 yards with 27 rushing yards on four carries. They made only one field goal and trailed the Cowboys 6–3 at halftime.
If the Cowboys had won, it would have affected Washington’s playoff seeding, but it would also have been quite embarrassing. The Cowboys were clearly more interested in saving $500,000 than giving themselves the best chance to win. He started third-stringer Trey Lance in place of Cooper Rush, who would have surpassed 55% of total snaps played if he started and would have earned a $500,000 bonus.
And yet, despite Lance’s completely uneventful debut for Dallas, Daniels started the first half, and Daniels’ replacement Marcus Mariota threw a TD almost immediately after Daniels left the game, giving the Commanders the lead in the final minutes of the game. They were ready to lose until Mariota threw a TD to Terry McLaurin on a leaping pass. They turned a loss into a win in the final seconds, avoiding a rematch with the full-strength Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.
The situation was looking pretty bleak for the Buccaneers up until this game. Now they have got a one point lead over Saints.
Have the Buccaneers been body snatched?
What’s up with the books?!
AJ Brown may have permanently injured every Eagles rookie receiver
When AJ Brown accidentally threw the ball into the stands to Tanner McKee’s first NFL touchdown in Week 17, it made an impact on every Eagles rookie receiver.
Bryce Young is feeling confident
Bryce Young, holy shit. He turned around to celebrate the TD before the ball was even caught. The man is feeling well.
Commanders lead Cowboys 10-9 after another Zach Ertz TD
Commander replaces Jayden Daniels with Marcus Mariota
The Commanders have a playoff game to prepare for, so they have withdrawn their QB Jayden Daniels and kept backup Marcus Mariota for the remainder of the game.
Baker bounces back with 40th TD throw in Bucs vs. Saints
Feelings are hot between the Saints and Bucs
Saints have nothing to play with except ego. The Bucs, on the other hand, are playing for their lives and probably didn’t think they would be down 10 points after halftime to the 5-11 Saints.
Malik Nabors is a bright spot in a drab Giants season
With four catches today, Malik Nabors set the Giants season record with 108 catches. Steve Smith had scored 107 runs in 2009.
Meanwhile, Caleb Williams is not having a good day…
Oh.
From @ESPNStatsInfo: Caleb Williams finished the first half with an average of -0.7 air yards per attempt. Among players with at least 5 pass attempts in a half, this is the fewest air yards per attempt in a half this season, and the second fewest air yards per attempt in a half by a Bear since 2006 (Tyson…).
