THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS won their first NFL playoff game since 2005 as a last-gasp 37-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez, which went in off the upright, earned them a 23-20 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round on Sunday.
Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns as the Commanders became the first road team to win in this year’s playoffs and set up a divisional round clash away to the NFC’s top seed, the Detroit Lions.
The game sprang into life at the end of the second quarter when, with Washington 10-3 up, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield charged 18-yards up the middle, riding a tough tackle as he kept the drive going.
Mayfield finished off the drive with a perfect floated pass into the end zone to Mike Evans to send the teams into halftime at 10-10.
After a 22-yard Gonzalez field goal, Mayfield found Bucky Irving with a 4-yard pass to put the Bucs 17-13 up.
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But Washington restored their advantage early in the fourth when, after a Mayfield fumble led to a turnover, Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on a 5-yard touchdown pass.
But after Tampa Bay tied the game up with a Chase McLaughlin field goal, Daniels led a 10 play, 51-yard drive to leave Gonzalez with the final say — which he provided albeit with some help from the upright.
“We’ve waited a long time for this moment, I am just so happy (for the fans),” said Daniels.
The Philadelphia Eagles also advanced in the NFC with a 22-10 win over a disappointing Green Bay Packers in a defensive grind.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts returned after missing the past two games following a concussion and he showed little signs of rust with an early 11-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love had a tough day, throwing an early interception with Darius Slay snaffling up the pick.
Even when Love did manage to get Green Bay within field goal range, with a 13-play drive in the second quarter, Brandon McManus missed the kick from 38-yards.
Dallas Goedert put Philadelphia 16-3 up when he collected a pass from Hurts and then burst towards the end-zone, delivering two stiff arms to keep Carrington Valentine at bay as he made the score.
Josh Jacobs gave the Packers some hope with his one-yard rush after he had shown impressive power and strength on the previous play to break a series of tackles and make 31-yards.
But that was the last productive moment from the Packers who suffered a series of injuries to key players while two Jake Elliott field goals wrapped up the win for the Eagles.
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Commanders advance with last-gasp field goal, while Eagles slog their way past Packers
THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS won their first NFL playoff game since 2005 as a last-gasp 37-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez, which went in off the upright, earned them a 23-20 win at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round on Sunday.
Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns as the Commanders became the first road team to win in this year’s playoffs and set up a divisional round clash away to the NFC’s top seed, the Detroit Lions.
The game sprang into life at the end of the second quarter when, with Washington 10-3 up, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield charged 18-yards up the middle, riding a tough tackle as he kept the drive going.
Mayfield finished off the drive with a perfect floated pass into the end zone to Mike Evans to send the teams into halftime at 10-10.
After a 22-yard Gonzalez field goal, Mayfield found Bucky Irving with a 4-yard pass to put the Bucs 17-13 up.
But Washington restored their advantage early in the fourth when, after a Mayfield fumble led to a turnover, Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin on a 5-yard touchdown pass.
But after Tampa Bay tied the game up with a Chase McLaughlin field goal, Daniels led a 10 play, 51-yard drive to leave Gonzalez with the final say — which he provided albeit with some help from the upright.
“We’ve waited a long time for this moment, I am just so happy (for the fans),” said Daniels.
The Philadelphia Eagles also advanced in the NFC with a 22-10 win over a disappointing Green Bay Packers in a defensive grind.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts returned after missing the past two games following a concussion and he showed little signs of rust with an early 11-yard touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love had a tough day, throwing an early interception with Darius Slay snaffling up the pick.
Even when Love did manage to get Green Bay within field goal range, with a 13-play drive in the second quarter, Brandon McManus missed the kick from 38-yards.
Dallas Goedert put Philadelphia 16-3 up when he collected a pass from Hurts and then burst towards the end-zone, delivering two stiff arms to keep Carrington Valentine at bay as he made the score.
Josh Jacobs gave the Packers some hope with his one-yard rush after he had shown impressive power and strength on the previous play to break a series of tackles and make 31-yards.
But that was the last productive moment from the Packers who suffered a series of injuries to key players while two Jake Elliott field goals wrapped up the win for the Eagles.
– © AFP 2025
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