As the adage says, it’s better to be lucky than good.
With three seconds left in regulation, Washington Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez banked a 37-yard field-goal attempt off the right upright to give his team a 23-20 victory on the road versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Washington’s wild-card victory gave it its first playoff victory since 2006. This ‘doink’ allows the Commanders to face the Lions next week on the road in Detroit in a divisional round bout.
The game’s story focuses on Gonzalez. After Cade York, Austin Seibert, and Greg Joseph didn’t work out, Gonzalez became the team’s starting kicker. He had been out of football since 2021 until getting his opportunity with six games left in the regular season.
In Sunday night’s game, Gonzalez went 3-for-3 on field goal attempts — even connecting on one from 52 yards out.
The other primary narrative surrounding this game was the emergence of Jayden Daniels on the biggest stage. In his first playoff game, the Southern California native threw for 268 yards and 2 TDs. He also led the Commanders with 36 yards rushing on 13 carries.
When the team needed him to make a play, Daniels stepped up. This included a play on the final drive with less than a minute left where he evaded Tampa Bay defensive lineman Calijah Kancey for a first down.
Had Kancey stopped Daniels behind the first-down line, Tampa Bay would’ve been able to call a timeout on fourth down — thus forcing a field-goal attempt before getting the ball back to presumable tie or win the game.
Kancey burst into the backfield as if he were shot out of a cannon. However, Daniels evaded Kancey with enough of a stiff arm before diving forward for the first down. Washington then was able to bleed the clock down for Gonazlez’s attempt without allowing the Buccaneers to even get a shot at tying the game.
Baker Mayfield played well in the defeat. He was an efficient 15-of-18 for 185 yards and 2 TDs. Mike Evans led all receivers with seven catches for 92 yards and a TD. Rookie rusher Bucky Irving also did well — rushing for 77 yards and 17 carries.
For 19 years, this Washington fanbase had been tortured by mediocrity and below-average play. Now, the nation’s capitol can rejoice for a week before next week’s showdown with the juggernaut in the Motor City.
