The Commanders have done it. A 30-24 overtime victory against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football secured the Burgundy & Gold's first playoff berth since 2020. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, tight end Zach Ertz, safety Quan Martin and edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. helped changed the game in Week 17 and gave Washington its eleventh win of the season.
Jayden Daniels
It was another game of the 2024 NFL season where Daniels put together a performance that dropped jaws, frustrated a defense and propelled Washington to a win.
Perhaps what stood out most through the 60 minutes was the signal-caller's special brand of competitiveness. It's clear whenever No. 5 takes the field that he just wants to win so badly and will fight tooth and nail for that end goal.
While Daniels was certainly effective through the air last night, completing 24-of-36 passes for 227 yards, many of his most pivotal plays came through taking the ball himself on the run. The win against Atlanta was the first time in Daniels' young career rushing for over 100 yards in a game, and his 7.9 yards per rush average is the fifth-most average yards per-rush in a single game by a quarterback in NFL history (minimum 15 carries).
And as we've seen on multiple occasions this season, Daniels competitiveness also manifested in being completely unfazed when stakes are at their highest. The rookie quarterback had his first run-in with NFL overtime last night, and he couldn't have responded better in Washington's one game-winning overtime possession. According to OptaSTATS, Daniels is the only NFL QB in the last 30 years to go 5-for-5 or better with no sacks and 40+ rushing yards on a single drive. That's any QB on a single drive. This drive was by a rookie quarterback in overtime. Incredible stuff.
Zach Ertz
The 3-time Pro Bowler has garnered a reputation for showing up in big moments, and last night at Northwest Stadium was more proof of Ertz's "clutch-ness."
The Commanders were in need of a spark coming out of the locker room after a first half with some stumbles that saw the team down by ten. Ertz would provide that on the first drive of the third quarter. It began with a massive 37-yard play on first-and-20 – Washington's longest play of the entire game -- where the big tight end caught the ball and ran to get to Atlanta's 39. Ertz then made sure this crucial drive ended with points as he secured a pass from Daniels in stride on third-and-8 while running across the top of the end zone.
That was one of two Ertz touchdowns last night, and the second was one that will be talked about for some time in Washington. It was third-and-2 in overtime with Washington on Atlanta's two-yard line after three Daniels scrambles in a row. If the Commanders could get in the end zone, the victory would be secured, and the playoff spot would be locked up.
"I knew they were going to keep eyes on Terry [McLaurin] and I knew Zach had a one-on-one," Daniels said. "We repped that so many times I knew he was going to win on that, he was going to make the catch, and it was going to be game over."
That's exactly what happened. The reliable 34-year-old collected the two-yard pass for the win.
Quan Martin
Washington's secondary needed to step up in this clash as Atlanta headed into Northwest Stadium ranked sixth in passing offense. Second-year safety Quan Martin showed he could handle what was on his plate and then some under the bright lights of primetime.
Martin's impact was felt just over three minutes into the contest on the Falcons' first drive of the game. On third-and-8, Atlanta quarterback Michael Penix Jr. dropped back and launched a ball intended for wide receiver Chris Blair. Martin easily read the throw, picked off the pass and ran for 29 yards. It was the safety's first interception of the season and gave Washington's offense great field position, which they capitalized on to get on the board.
For the rest of the night, Martin was aggressive and quick to disrupt or halt Falcons in his vicinity. With about four minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter, he swooped in to bat away a ball down the middle heading for Atlanta receiver Drake London and made important back-to-back tackles later in the fourth against London and receiver Ray-Ray McCloud as Atlanta, down by seven, looked to shift momentum in the final five minutes of action.
In addition to the interception and two passes defensed, the 24-year-old Illinois product finished with a team-high eight tackles. That's the kind performance that'll have Joe Whitt Jr. grinning ear to ear.
Dante Fowler Jr.
As the offense refocused after a shaky first half, so did Washington's defense. Edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. played a significant role in righting the ship for the Commanders in the back half of the game.
With about five and a half minutes left in the third, Fowler broke through Atlanta's offensive line and managed to get a hand out in the process, dislodging the ball from Penix's hands. The play on third-and-5 forced Atlanta to punt.
It wouldn't be the last time Fowler was right in Penix's face. In the fourth quarter drive, just after Washington took the lead, the 30-year-old edge helped to snuff out the immediate response Atlanta was looking for. He charged through the line, threw in a spin move, and got both arms on top of Penix mid-throw, causing an incomplete pass.
With two tackles, one sack, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss and one force fumble, the Sunday Night Football win was another very strong performance in a really impressive season for Fowler. He is now the first Washington player with 10-plus sacks in a single season since Daron Payne in 2022, and the first Washington edge rusher with 10-plus sacks in a single season since Ryan Kerrigan in 2018.
