MIKE BURKE
Allegany Communications Sports
This time it was sealed with a fortuitous doink shot off the right upright that dropped over the crossbar with no time left for a 37-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez, giving the Washington Commanders a 23-20 road victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And with it, the Commanders take their magic beans to Detroit where they will meet the top-seeded Lions Saturday night in the divisional round of the playoffs (whatever divisional means).
Adding to this most remarkable turnaround, the Commanders, who won all of four games last year, won the franchise’s first playoff game in 19 years. That came when they beat the same Buccaneers franchise, 17-10, in the 2005 playoffs. Washington’s last playoff win over a team not named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? That was against – are you ready for this? – the Detroit Lions in 1999, 27-13.
Norv!
Do you believe in symmetry? The Washington Commanders do, but can they keep tempting fate? The boys in Vegas don’t believe they can, as the Lions, who are still missing several key players to injury, are the nine-point favorite.
It’s all been so swell, but the Commanders running game is still somewhere on a milk carton, both the offensive and defensive lines have been manhandled of late, including on Sunday night against Tampa, and head coach Dan Quinn needs to take free points when he can rather than going for it on fourth down as often as he does..
The key to it all, naturally, is skin and bones quarterback Jayden Daniels, who, like Ty Johnson, is now known by a lot of people who didn’t know him before watching the playoffs on Sunday, when he again put his team on his shoulders, completing 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards with no interceptions and no turnovers to commandeer this team’s fifth straight win on the last play from scrimmage.
Close games are not only the norm for the Commanders, but they’ve now taken it to ridiculous lengths — namely the last play of every game – and in just their first season together they are completely unfazed in the closest of games and play with a natural ease and calm that begins with the devil-may-care of their mischievous rookie quarterback, who became the first rookie in NFL history to lead his team in passing and rushing yards in the same playoff game.
Meanwhile, Quinn has made some history himself, becoming the first Washington head coach since 1943 to win a playoff game in his first year on the job. You do, of course, remember Dutch Bergman. He was the coach in 1943 who won a playoff game in his first and, as it turns out, his only year on the job.
The whole thing has become utter nonsense, but it continues to work for the Commanders and for their long-suffering fans. Since they last saw a playoff win, these fans have seen three team names, 21 quarterbacks and a record of 125-186-2. Yet they still managed to go on the road with their team and take over a stadium that is home to a team that won its division four straight years and a Super Bowl in 2020.
That’s loyalty. That’s never giving up on the dream, for as we’ve said before, you’d have to live in the Washington area to truly understand the hold this football team has always had on the community. Nothing comes close to uniting the most powerful city in the world as does its winning football team.
Naturally, not many outside of D,C. are giving the Commanders much of a chance against the Lions, believing they’re in over their heads. But haven’t they been in over their heads for the entire season, particularly during the middle of the season when they lost three in a row?
Twelve wins and a playoff victory indicate they haven’t been in over their heads at all, nor does it seem they’re about to start looking up now.
Detroit has a great offense, but the Commanders could take advantage of the Lions defense. In the last five weeks of the regular season, Detroit ranked 31st in yards allowed per game, 28th in points, last in opposing QB rating and 31st in passing yards.
It’s certainly not going to be easy. In fact, most people say for the Commanders to even have a chance will have to play a near-perfect game, which they clearly are not capable of playing.
Still, it doesn’t seem to be the right time to be surprised by anything these Washington Commanders end up doing. They become comfortable in uncomfortable times. They stopped trying to figure things out about six weeks ago, and they put their magic beans to work.
Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT