Ahead of the Washington Commanders' 23-20 wild card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was a lot of talk about all of the "firsts" the organization was experiencing -- Washington's first time securing at least one win over each of their three divisional opponents since 2015; its first playoff berth since 2020; and the first time quarterback Jayden Daniels would take the field in the playoffs, period.

Despite being seasoned players, even veterans can have firsts in the postseason, too. One that has largely flown under the radar is linebacker Bobby Wagner's first career playoff fumble recovery.

With Tampa Bay on their 15-yard line with a four-point lead in the fourth quarter, quarterback Baker Mayfield intended to hand the ball off to wide receiver Jalen McMillan on a jet sweep, but things didn't go to plan for the Buccaneers.

Although it's unclear whether it was a botched snap or a miscommunication on the timing of the handoff between Mayfield and McMillan, the ball ended up loose and Wagner immediately pounced on the fumble to recover it for the Commanders.

"I saw there was a fast motion, and I was kind of bumping toward the motion, and then I saw him [McMillan] fumble it and saw the ball on the ground," Wagner said of the play in his postgame press conference. "I knew we needed that ball, so I made sure I got it instead of him [Mayfield]."

The Commanders' offense capitalized off the field position Wagner put them in by notching the go-ahead touchdown to reclaim the lead and notch Washington's first playoff win since 2005.

"You got to give them credit," Tampa Bay Head Coach Todd Bowles said after the game. "They made some plays. We had our chance to make some plays that we didn't make. But it was a combination of both. They made plays, and we didn't make the plays when we had the chance."

Given Wagner's 17 playoff appearances during his illustrious 13-year career in the NFL, it's surprising a fumble recovery has eluded him for so long. It happened at the right time, however, as the play was a much-needed shift in the Commanders' favor.

"We just needed a play," Wagner said of the momentum swing to FOX Sports’ Erin Andrews postgame. "I think they had a big fourth down; they had a lot of momentum going their way, so, you know, I saw the ball on the ground and had to go get it."

Wagner finished the game with five solo tackles, a half sack and a fumble recovery, which makes him the first player in franchise history to record a half-sack and a fumble recovery since at least 2000.

"He is a rare competitor," head coach Dan Quinn said of Wagner in his postgame press conference. "So much of his success is unseen work. I'm in early. He's already there. He'll be the first one in tomorrow. I'm certain of it. He's just that type of competitor that he doesn't back off of it.

"He's very disciplined. And I think 'disciplined' can be seen as a negative word. But in this instance, I'm talking the focus and discipline to stay at it, like, that's not easy to do. And he's got incredible commitment to it. He definitely affects the other players around us, so he was the last guy to come in today, and it was cool to see everybody pumped for him."

Wagner will bring that disciplined focus and commitment Quinn describes to the divisional round when Washington faces the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions on Saturday night. The game will be Wagner's first divisional appearance since 2019 when he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks.