On January 12th, 2025, The Washington Commanders won their first playoff game since 2006, beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20. The Commanders came into the game as the #6 seed, after an improbable season with low expectations in the beginning. They pulled off clutch wins against The Falcons, Eagles, Cowboys, and Bears just to name a few, and they finished with a 12-5 record, their best since their Super Bowl win in 1991. 

The Commanders faced a familiar foe being the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The last time they made the playoffs, They went 7-9 and barely won their division. They hosted the Tom Brady led Bucs, and played their backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke since their starter Alex Smith was injured. They fought a tough fight, but lost 31-23. The last time they won a playoff game was against the Bucs in 2006 while star defensive back and safety Sean Taylor was still alive, they won 17-10.

The Buccaneers started the game off with a short drive downfield but they had to settle with a field goal, making the score 3-0 early in the first. In the Commanders first drive, Jayden Daniels connected to Terry McLaurin for an insane 35 yard reception. This set them up with good field position, which they quickly squandered when they went for it on fourth down and didn’t make it. On a third and two, Jayden Daniels was ransacked by a defender at the 23 yard line for one yard, setting them up with yet another fourth down which they converted. Daniels quickly threw a touchdown to wide open wide receiver Dyami Brown to take a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. The Buccaneers went three and out, punted, giving the ball back to the Commanders which resulted in a field goal making the score 10-3. With little time left on the clock before halftime, the Bucs got the ball back and put a drive together to tie the game with a touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield to Mike Evans, the score was now 10-10 at halftime. 

The Commanders started the second half with the ball, and went down the field to kick a field goal, making the score 13-10. Tampa then took the ball downfield and scored a touchdown making the score 17-13. The Commanders, now in desperate need of a touchdown, marched down the field and were unable to convert in the red zone, failing on yet another fourth down play. But then, the Commanders fortunes changed, when the Bucs muffed a handoff on a jet sweep play and the Commanders recovered the fumble in the red zone. This set up the Commanders for the best ball position they had all game. They struggled to get in the red zone and ended up with another fourth down play, but that gamble finally paid off as Jayden Daniels threw a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, to take a 20-17 lead. With around 5:00 minutes left on the clock, the Bucs needed to score points in order to stay in the game, and they did just that. The game was tied at 20 after a 32 yard field goal. The Commanders got the ball back and took it down the field, while also draining clock, and it all came down to journeyman kicker Zane Gonzalez, who signed with the Commanders in early november to make a 37 yard field goal attempt to win the commanders their first playoff game in two decades. Prior to the attempt, Gonzalez seemed nervous, playing with his shoes and hair right before the kick to make sure everything was perfect. As the ball was kicked, millions of fans held their breath as the ball sailed towards the right upright and doinked off and in. The Commanders had somehow, some way pulled off and improbable victory, sending them to the divisional round of the playoffs to take on the #1 seed Detroit Lions.