That’s before getting to the fact that the player charged with making the kick, Zane Gonzalez, is an NFL journeyman who didn’t record a statistic for the past two seasons. He only latched on with Washington in November after Austin Seibert was injured.
So, sure, Gonzalez didn’t come through with his best kick, but his bank shot off the right upright was a thing of beauty for himself and the Commanders.
Clutch plays on the final drive: Before there could be a doink, there had to be a couple of big plays to get the Commanders into position for their latest last-second win. One of those was Austin Ekeler’s 18-yard catch-and-run to bring the team into range. But the game-winning drive really got going with a 21-yard reception by Dyami Brown on third and six from the Washington 34.
The catch moved Washington across midfield and into, ahem, a commanding position late in the game. It also capped a massive day for Brown, a fourth-year wide receiver who set a career high with five catches. Brown’s 89 yards were the second most of his career, and he also had a touchdown catch at the beginning of the second quarter to put Washington ahead 7-3.
Mayfield’s fumble is a gift: Early inside the fourth zone Washington blew an opportunity to retake the lead whilst it changed into stonewalled with the aid of Tampa Bay on the purpose line.
The Bucs had been still deep in their personal territory when the ball hit the turf and turned into recovered through Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner for the sport’s best turnover.
Given a huge opportunity, the Commanders cashed in four plays later with a go-ahead touchdown pass, putting them up 20-17.
Going for it: While a field goal won the game for Washington, Coach Dan Quinn passed up a couple of chances for three early in the game, and it paid off the second time. On Washington’s first drive, Quinn went for it on fourth and two from Tampa Bay’s 20, but a pass went incomplete. Faced with a similar situation early in the second quarter — and given a timeout to think about it by the Bucs — Quinn again was bold on fourth and one from Tampa Bay’s 23.
This time, Ekeler rumbled up the middle for a couple of hard-earned yards, continuing a drive that would end in Daniels’s touchdown pass to Brown and the Commanders’ first lead.
Daniels completed 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 110.2 rating.
