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The league’s hottest team, riding a seven-game winning streak and boasting the only two road wins of the NFL’s postseason, rolled into the hostile confines of Lincoln Financial Field with a chance to punch an improbable ticket to the Super Bowl. To get there though, they had to upset their division rivals, who arguably possess the deepest collection of talent on either side of the ball in the league.

With the entire football loving world tuned in, the Washington Commanders suffered from a series of self-inflicted errors that killed any hope of victory against a talented and aggressive opponent. Four turnovers and a porous run defense were too much to overcome, as Jayden Daniels and friends lost 55-23 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

The game started with some promise for the underdogs. An 18-play, 54-yard opening drive — Washington’s longest of the season — took more than seven minutes off the board … but only resulted in three points. The Eagles responded by scoring a touchdown on one play — a 60-yard run by Saquon Barkley that clearly signaled trouble for a Commanders defense incapable of stopping the run all season long.

When one team requires 18 plays to produce a field goal and the other scores a touchdown in a single play, that’s a pretty strong indication of which squad held an advantage in explosiveness. Earlier in the season, Washington had little trouble producing these sorts of high-impact moments, but down the stretch they occurred far less frequently.

During two regular season encounters, Barkley amassed 296 rushing yards and four touchdowns. On this day, the league’s best back amassed 118 yards and three touchdowns on just 15 carries. Compounding matters, quarterback Jalen Hurts also rushed for three touchdowns. And Philly’s third-string running back Will Shipley gained 77 yards and a touchdown on just four carries. In short, anyone remotely interested in scoring a rushing touchdown against Washington’s defense did so on this day.

Coming into the NFC Championship Game, Daniels led 11 scoring drives on 16 postseason possessions, excluding kneel downs. Punter Tress Way was called into action just once and the Commanders didn’t commit a turnover against either Tampa or Detroit. After successfully converting 20-of-23 fourth downs during the regular season, the Commanders went 10-of-15 during the playoffs. But none of that matters when your defense is unable to stop whoever carries the ball.

As the Commanders head into the offseason (significantly later than anyone reasonably expected), let’s take a moment to acknowledge this incredible ride. Washington’s offense scored touchdowns in the last 30 seconds or overtime of six different games this season. The franchise posted its first winning season since 2016, earned its first playoff win since the 2005 season and competed in its first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 campaign. All of this, of course, became possibly thanks to Daniels, who put together the best rookie season the NFL has ever witnessed.

The 24-year-old amassed the most total touchdowns by a rookie in NFL history, as well as the most total touchdowns in a season by any quarterback in franchise history. Daniels had 12 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter or overtime, which tied the NFL rookie record. He also became just the fourth rookie quarterback in league history to win multiple playoff games.

The Commanders’ dream season might be over, but it’s safe to say this is just the beginning of a new era for the burgundy and gold. After decades of despair, words like “poise” and “clutch” are now often associated with the burgundy and gold. After becoming all but irrelevant, they’re now capable of defeating anybody, anywhere, anytime. Who saw that coming a year ago?

For the first time in nearly two decades, the Washington Commanders have won a playoff game. In a sentence that seemed completely impossible just 12 months ago, the franchise is moving on to the second round of the postseason, after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers via a last-second field goal, 23-20.

Tampa Bay blitzed quarterback Jayden Daniels early and often during the Heisman Trophy winner’s debut. As a result, Washington’s offense struggled to find any sort of rhythm in their season opener. But here’s the thing about Daniels — he rarely plays like a rookie. 

Case in point: Washington went 1-3 against Tampa, Philadelphia, Dallas and the New York Giants the first time they faced them. But in the rematch, the Commanders went 4-0. Daniels, with the help of Washington’s stellar coaching staff, learns and adapts to what defenses throw at him.

On a day when Commanders running backs were a non-factor and the defense struggled to create impact plays, the fate of the franchise rested on the shoulders of a 24-year-old quarterback making his first postseason appearance. As odd as it might sound, Washington’s best defense was keeping the defense off the field. To win, Daniels and the offense needed to consistently stay on the field for lengthy, time-consuming drives.

Terry McLaurin’s magical season continued, who secured his first career postseason touchdown came on the same play the Commanders ran in the final seconds against Philadelphia, when Jamison Crowder caught the game-winning touchdown. Same play, different target. And now McLaurin has 11 red zone touchdowns this season, which matches his production during his first five years in the league.

Against Tampa, Daniels accounted for a ridiculous 87 percent of Washington’s total offense. Just as impressively, the 24-year-old has now led the team to five game-winning drives this season. And for the third time this season, Washington didn’t punt or turn the ball over in a game, a feat which no other rookie quarterback has ever accomplished.

During the deciding drive, Daniels once again rose to the occasion — making defensive tackle Calijah Kancey miss on third-and-2 from Tampa’s 19-yard line with less than a minute remaining. When the play ended, Kancey was left standing there, holding Daniels’ towel, wondering how the elusive rookie had evaded him on what looked like a certain tackle for a loss in the backfield.

With three seconds remaining, kicker Zane Gonzalez converted a 37-yard field goal to secure Washington its first playoff victory in 6,945 days. That 17-10 win over the Buccaneers seems like a lifetime ago, especially consider Daniels was only 6 when Sean Taylor, Lavar Arrington and friends stole the win in Tampa back in January of 2006.

Since 1991, 35 different quarterbacks started a game for the franchise. After completing arguably the best season ever by a rookie quarterback, it’s safe to say Washington has finally found the answer at the game’s most vital position.

With a postseason berth already secured, the Washington Commanders still had something to play for against Dallas during their regular season finale. After an uneven first half and with playoff seeding on the line, head coach Dan Quinn made the surprising decision to bench rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels at halftime due to leg soreness. Enter veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota, who turned out to be the hero of the day.

Receiver Terry McLaurin’s franchise record 13th touchdown reception, which came from Mariota with just three seconds remaining in the game, propelled the Commanders to a thrilling 23-19 comeback victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

While Daniels said he would have fought to stay in the game if it were an elimination game, he was ultimately okay with his coach’s surprising decision. Fortunately for the Commanders, Quinn’s move paid off as Mariota threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, sparking an offense that was stagnant in the first half. The 31-year-old Oregon product completed 15 of 18 attempts for 161 yards and rushed for 56 yards on five carries to go with those three touchdowns.

McLaurin broke a tie with Ricky Sanders, Charley Taylor, Jerry Smith and Hugh Taylor for the most touchdown catches in a single season in Commanders history. He also became the only player in franchise history to record at least 75 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdown catches in a single season.

Ultimately, Washington didn’t need the win to secure the sixth seed, thanks to Green Bay’s loss to Chicago. But the victory gave the burgundy and gold a four-game win streak, all of which have come on the final play from scrimmage.

The Commanders will now face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round next Sunday night. This is a rematch of Tampa’s 37-20 win over Washington in Daniels’ debut.

In one of the biggest moments of one of the biggest games of the entire season, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels proved he’s actually human.

After leading the offense up and down the field all night long against a motivated and desperate Atlanta Falcons team, the Heisman Trophy winner needed a moment to catch his breath. Deep into overtime, head coach Dan Quinn called a timeout to allow his electrifying 24-year-old time to regain his composure.

As Daniels kneeled on the field, his backup, Marcus Mariota, walked over to him and delivered a timely pep talk.

“Stand up, catch your air, get your wind and go out there and execute,” Mariota said. “Use your God-given abilities, and let’s go win this game.”

It should come as no surprise the rookie phenom did just that. Daniels connected with veteran tight end Zach Ertz in overtime for his third touchdown pass of the game, capping off an incredible performance. The LSU standout completed 24 of 36 passes for 227 yards with three touchdowns and ran for a season-high 127 yards, including 42 in overtime.

During the most-watched Sunday Night Football game since 2019, the most clutch version of this franchise during my 20 seasons covering the team delivered once again. The Commanders, led by Daniels, rose to the occasion with the game on the line, defeating the Falcons in overtime, 30-24. Washington has 11 wins for the first time since 1991 and has officially qualified for the playoffs.

Washington has scored 30 or more points seven times, including three times in the last four games, and is one of only three teams to score on more than half of its drives this season. Considering the Commanders were 4-13 one year ago and the franchise hadn’t posted a winning season since 2016, it’s been a remarkable turnaround for a franchise that hasn’t had much to be cheerful about over the years.

The Commanders’ win was also testament to Daniels’ poise and resilience. He shook off an interception and a 10-point halftime deficit to lead the winning drive in overtime. At 11-5, Washington now has a chance to secure the sixth seed in the NFC. A victory over the Dallas Cowboys next weekend, could set up a wild-card round game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Los Angeles Rams.

The Philadelphia Eagles came into town riding a 10-game winning streak, thanks to a potent two-headed offensive attack featuring Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley as well as arguably the best defense in the league. Philadelphia rushed out to an early lead and a blowout of the Commanders looked likely … until the 11th play of the game when Hurts was sidelined with a concussion.

With backup Kenny Pickett behind center, the Eagles leaned heavily on Barkley, who rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, enabling the Birds to jump to a 14-0 lead barely eight minutes into the game. By the third quarter, Philly was ahead 27-14 lead and the Commanders had a five percent chance of winning the contest. But the fourth quarter veered heavily off script and the burgundy and gold rallied to stun their division rival.

Washington’s rookie phenom Jayden Daniels sparked an improbable 22-point fourth quarter to steal a 36-33 win over the Eagles, capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder with just six seconds remaining. On the day, Daniels completed 24 of 39 attempts for 258 yards with a career-best five touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for a team-high 81 yards.

Through 15 weeks, Philadelphia hadn’t given up more than two touchdown passes in a single game this season. Daniels, who is still technically a rookie, threw for five. One of those went to his favorite target, Terry McLaurin, who hauled in his 12th touchdown reception of the season — tying the franchise record with Super Bowl champion Ricky Sanders.

With the win, Dan Quinn became the first coach in franchise history to win at least 10 games in his first season. Amazingly, the last time the franchise was 10-5 was back in 1991. The Commanders now have a 94 percent chance to make the postseason, and a win over Atlanta next week on Sunday Night Football will clinch their spot. As the franchise seeks its first playoff victory in 19 years.