The playoffs are a whole different animal and playoff Jayden was no exception. As he’s done all season, Daniels put the team on his back in crunch-time and drove them into position to kick the game-winning field goal. What was even more impressive is that the stage never looked too big for him and someone watching from the outside would never have known that he’s a rookie playing in his first playoff game.
Although this wasn’t a perfect game by any means, the Commanders showed the grit and determination that propelled them through the regular season. This Dan Quinn-led team always shows fight and never gives up. Thankfully, the “Doink Heard Around the World” kept Washington’s Super Bowl hopes alive for at least another week – something that most fans would have never dreamt about back in the summer.
Below are my Studs and Duds of the game followed by some notes.
Studs:
Jayden Daniels – If there were a Studlier Stud category, Jayden Daniels would stand in that alone. Like I said above, playoff Jayden just hits differently. This man has carried this team all season, and he’d done so when the games were on the line. Sunday night was no exception. After playing the Bucs tough all evening, when it came down to crunch-time and sealing the win, Jayden was again poised, confident and under control.
He went an impressive 24/35 for 268 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also the team’s leading rusher gaining 36 yards with his legs while often putting his body on the line to make the sticks.
Dyami Brown – Brown had his best game in a Washington uniform to date hauling in five receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown on the team’s biggest stage. What was most impressive was his ability to make big plays after the catch.
Terry McLaurin – McLaurin showed the national audience why he was named to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro Second Team Sunday night. He led Washington with seven receptions for 89 yards and a touchdown. His 35 yard over-the-shoulder snag in the first quarter was absolutely beautiful!
Bobby Wagner – The Second Team All-Pro showed up big against Tampa, recording a team-high eight tackles, half a sack and a HUGE fumble recovery off a muffed handoff by Mayfield. His leadership through the season had been instrumental in the team’s turnaround.
Zane Gonzalez – DOINK! Zane went 3/3 with a long of 52, and most importantly hit the game winner on the Doink Heard Around the World!
Washington Game Plan – The Commanders dominated the time of possession 35:26 to 24:34, had ZERO turnovers and just five penalties for 39 yards (although two of those penalties were costly). The offense ran 69 total plays compared to Tampa’s 44 and outgained the Bucs 350 to 284.
Duds:
Brandon Coleman – The rookie had a really rough game against a stout Bucs defensive front. He allowed six pressures on the evening and completely blew three blocks in pass protection. He also had a sack wiped out by a holding penalty against McLaurin.
Marshon Lattimore – The hamstring injury that plagued Lattimore during the regular season didn’t look like it was healed, and he looked well below 100 percent. He was abused by Mike Evans conceding six of Evan’s seven receptions and allowed a touchdown to the future Hall of Famer.
Notes:
- Austin Ekeler was instrumental in this team win. He only had 27 yards on eight carries against a stingy Bucs defense, but he came up big in the passing game, hauling in three receptions for 26 yards – none bigger than his 18-yard catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter.
- Jer’Zhan Newton outplayed his two higher-paid veteran counterparts along the defensive front, collecting two tackles, one for a loss, and two pressures.
- Jeremy Chinn had a nice game, making some key tackles and playing pretty good coverage from his strong safety position.
- Mike Sainristil had a pretty quiet game, and it wasn’t his best, but he had a huge pass defended in the first quarter down the right sideline that saved a touchdown. On that play, he peeled off an inside receiver and saved St-Juste’s tail.
- I actually saw Daron Payne make a play while chasing a Bucs running back down from behind. This is the most effort I’ve seen from him in weeks.
- Surprisingly, Benjamin St-Juste didn’t have a penalty called against him during the game. Considering his propensity to grab opposing wide receivers during their routes, this is a big positive.
- Brian Robinson continues to underwhelm.
