ARLINGTON, Texas — The Washington Commanders headed into their match against the Dallas Cowboys not intending to sit quarterback Jayden Daniels in the second half. However, leg soreness prompted Coach Dan Quinn to make a strategic decision, and in came Marcus Mariota, who ultimately led the team to victory.
Mariota delivered a decisive 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with just three seconds remaining, sealing a 23-19 win for Washington and securing the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs. He not only tossed two touchdown passes but also rushed for a score after stepping in for Daniels. The latter expressed his agreement with the decision while adding that if the game had held higher stakes, he would have insisted on remaining on the field.
Even though the Commanders (12-5) were only playing for seeding, Quinn’s choice revitalized an offense that had struggled, managing only 64 yards in the first half. “It required more from the quarterback’s mobility, so I decided to go this route,” Quinn explained. “This wasn’t something we’d planned beforehand.”
Washington ended up clinching the sixth seed without needing to rally, as the Green Bay Packers fell to the Chicago Bears late in their game, but the win marked an impressive culmination of the regular season, ending on a four-game winning streak that followed a tough three-game stretch capped by a loss to the Cowboys earlier in the season.
Next Sunday evening, the Commanders will face the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) in the wild-card round. This matchup is a rematch from Week 1, when the Buccaneers triumphed against Washington 37-20 in Daniels’ debut as the rookie quarterback. The Packers will go up against the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles, currently seeded second in the playoffs.
For the Cowboys, who finished the season at 7-10, Brandon Aubrey contributed four field goals in the game, which also marked the first official start for quarterback Trey Lance since Week 2 of the 2022 season while he was still with the San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys managed to briefly lead the game 19-16 through Rico Dowdle’s 2-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
Coach Mike McCarthy’s future remains uncertain, as his contract is set to expire following three seasons that included two with winning records and a struggle to advance past the divisional round of the playoffs since the mid-1990s. McCarthy reflected on the game, noting, “It felt like a small reflection of our entire season, with the outcome relying on little details that we didn’t execute.”
At the half, Daniels completed 6 of 12 passes for a mere 38 yards before Mariota took over. Mariota notably finished the game with 15 completions on 18 attempts for 161 yards, including a key 33-yard run that positioned Washington for the game-winning drive of 91 yards. “He’s an incredible teammate,” Quinn remarked, highlighting Mariota’s readiness and contributions behind the scenes.
In his debut for the Cowboys, Lance threw for 244 yards, completing 20 of 34 attempts without any touchdown passes or interceptions. After the Cowboys traded a fourth-round draft pick for him last year, Lance had lost the backup role to Cooper Rush, who started eight games due to Dak Prescott’s injury.
Defensively, Micah Parsons fulfilled his promise to reach double-digit sacks for a fourth consecutive season, despite missing several games due to injury. He recorded 2.5 sacks in the game, ending the season with a total of 12, joining a select group of players who have achieved this feat in their first four seasons.
Meanwhile, Washington’s running game showed signs of strain even with the return of Austin Ekeler, who had recently recovered from a concussion. Combined, Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. managed just 22 yards on eight carries.
Notably, Aubrey maintained his record for the most field goals made from 50 yards or more in a single season, finishing with 14 successful attempts. In contrast, the records for Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn and Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell both landed at 13.
The Commanders are set to head into the playoffs with a winning record for the first time since 2015, marking their return to postseason play since 2020.
