Jayden Daniels’ rookie season is going so well that it makes sense that he sees Sunday night’s playoff contest as “just another game.”
Perhaps Daniels will feel differently once the ball is kicked off as he attempts to lead the sixth-seeded Commanders past the third-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC wild-card game at Tampa, Fla.
The Commanders (12-5) enter the postseason with a five-game winning streak and won 12 regular-season games — just the fourth time in franchise history that Washington has won at least a dozen contests.
That success primarily is due to the multi-faceted quarterback who was drafted second overall. Daniels passed for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions and also rushed for 891 yards and six scores.
“It’s exciting, but you got to deal with those emotions,” Daniels told reporters. “At the end of the day, you got to go out there and play ball. A lot of people are going to put a lot of emphasis on it because at this point, it’s really win or go home.”
The Washington franchise hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2005 season when Hall of Fame member Joe Gibbs was its head coach. Coincidentally, that triumph came at Tampa Bay, 17-10 in the wild-card round.
The following week, Washington lost to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round to start a five-game postseason losing streak.
The most recent playoff loss came in the 2020 season — again versus the Bucs. Tampa Bay won that wild-card matchup 31-23 at Washington.
The two teams met in September in Daniels’ NFL debut. Daniels rushed for two touchdowns but didn’t throw for any in a 37-20 road loss. The Buccaneers had the hotter quarterback as Baker Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn hasn’t forgotten the way Tampa Bay moved the ball at will. He’s also aware the Buccaneers (10-7) enter the postseason with six victories in their past seven games.
“I think they’ve just had a fantastic year,” Quinn said. “I think (Mayfield) has always been able to rip it and been aggressive in and outside the pocket. Having the run game balance for them, I think that’s what sets their offense apart this year.
“The addition of (Bucky) Irving, their run game, the play pass that goes with it that is an impressive thing.”
Mayfield established career highs of 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns this season while being intercepted 16 times.
Irving, a rookie, has excelled for the Buccaneers. The fourth-round draft pick has rushed for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns.
Tampa Bay is in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and second time under Mayfield. The Buccaneers beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round last season before losing to the Detroit Lions in the divisional round.
“You’re excited to get to the playoffs and you’re excited for the next opportunity and getting to play with this group guaranteed for one more time,” Mayfield told reporters. “That’s the mentality going into it but other than that, preparation-wise you don’t want to psych everybody out. You want to handle it the best way you can but just a little bit more attention to detail and ensuring the fact that everybody is on the same page and can handle things correctly.”
The game could turn out to be an offensive showcase as Tampa Bay ranks fourth in scoring at 29.5 points per game and Washington stands fifth at 28.5.
“It’s (about) mentality for us, find any way to win, whether the game is a shootout, whether it’s low scoring,” Mayfield said. “Make the plays that matter when it counts.”
Tampa Bay standout safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (knee) was a full practice participant Wednesday and is expected to return after a four-game absence. Tight end Cade Otton (knee) was limited and could return after missing three games.
Washington hopes to have cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) back after a two-game absence. He was limited Wednesday, as was center Tyler Biadasz (ankle), who missed the regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
–Field Level Media
