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Jayden Daniels shines in his playoff debut for Commanders
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) scrambles against Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (94) during the second quarter of a NFC wild-card playoff at Raymond James Stadium. Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Buccaneers-Commanders takeaways: Jayden Daniels shines in playoff debut

The Washington Commanders are on their way to the divisional round for the first time since the 2005 season thanks to Sunday's 23-20 wild-card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It came down to a game-winning 37-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez that doinked in off the right upright as time expired

Here are some takeaways from the Commanders' win. 

Kneejerk reaction: Finally a competitive game this postseason

Football fans, as a collective group, owe a huge thank you to the Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers for finally giving us a competitive game on wild-card weekend. 

After the first four games were all double-digit blowouts, none of which seemed even remotely competitive, the Commanders and Buccaneers played a thrilling, close game that came down to the wire. It is what you want to see from an NFL playoff game as both quarterbacks (Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield) had strong moments, there was good defense, big-time coaching decisions (like Washington's Dan Quinn consistently going for it on fourth down) and tense moments. 

It also came down to literal inches at the buzzer as Gonzalez's field goal doinked its way through the uprights.

Everything you could want in a playoff game. 

Game MVP: Jayden Daniels, quarterback, Washington Commanders

The real story of this game was Washington's rookie quarterback sensation playing like, well, anything but a rookie. 

Daniels looked like a seasoned pro in his first taste of playoff action, completing 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions and also running for 36 yards on 13 carries. 

That included a game-winning drive to set up the Commanders' winning field goal. 

On that drive, he showed off his athleticism and ability to make plays with his feet in one of the biggest possible situations. With the Commanders facing a 3rd-and-2 with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter, Washington put the ball in Daniels' hands and allowed him to make a play. 

That turned out to be a massive first down. If he did not get it, the Commanders would have had to give the football back to Tampa Bay with more than 45 seconds to play and given Baker Mayfield a chance to tie the game or perhaps even win it. 

Instead, the Commanders were able to run the clock down to walk it off. 

Game-changing play: Baker Mayfield's fumble

Just after the Buccaneers had made a goal-line stand early in the fourth quarter, holding onto a 17-13 lead, quarterback Baker Mayfield made one of his only mistakes of the night when a botched handoff on a jet sweep turned into a fumble, giving the Commanders the ball back in the red zone.

Tampa Bay had a chance to extend its lead on that drive, or at the very least take some time off the clock, only to hand the football right back to Washington.

The Commanders turned that into a go-ahead touchdown four players later on a fourth-and-two conversion. 

Dan Quinn rolled the dice. Todd Bowles did not

The Commanders were one of the most successful fourth-down teams in the NFL this season and head coach Dan Quinn really leaned into that on Sunday night, going for it on fourth down five times.

They successfully converted three of them, including on the touchdown following the Mayfield fumble. 

That sort of aggressiveness comes with some risk, especially if it does not work in the playoffs, but it paid off for the Commanders on Sunday. 

Contrast that to the approach of Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles, who on the ensuing drive was faced with a fourth-and-short situation and took the safe route by taking the points and tying the game.

He never got the football back and watched as the Commanders won on a field goal. It was the safe path. It was the easy path. It did not help in the end. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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