By Canadian Press

NFL playoff roundup: Commanders win first playoff game since 2005, beating Bucs 23-20

Jan 12, 2025 | 10:43 PM

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jayden Daniels ran for a critical first down to set up Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yard field goal that clanged off the right upright and went through as time expired, and the Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in an NFC wild-card game Sunday night for the franchise’s first NFL playoff win in 6,945 days.

Daniels, playing with a bandage beneath his right eye after his face was bloodied, became the third rookie quarterback in three years to win a playoff game.

The Commanders (13-5) will face the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (15-2) in the divisional round.

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (10-8) missed several opportunities and the veteran quarterback committed a critical turnover in the fourth quarter. The Bucs couldn’t get one yard on two tries from the Commanders’ 12 and settled for a field goal to tie the game before Washington’s winning drive.

Daniels threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns, joining C.J. Stroud and Brock Purdy as rookie QBs to win playoff games in the past three seasons.

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Elsewhere in the NFL on Sunday:

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BILLS 31 BRONCOS 7

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes, James Cook scored on a five-yard run and finished with 120 yards rushing, and Buffalo leaned on a balanced offensive attack in a win over Denver in a wild-card playoff game.

The Bills methodically wore down the Broncos by scoring on six of their first seven drives in building a 31-7 lead in a game where they finished with a 23-minute edge in time of possession.

And Buffalo didn’t flinch after rookie Bo Nix capped Denver’s five-play game-opening drive with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin.

With Buffalo leading 13-7, Allen broke the game open with a 24-yard touchdown pass to sliding running back Ty Johnson in the back of the end zone on fourth-and-1 with 3:06 left in the third quarter.

On Buffalo’s next possession, Allen completed a 55-yard pass to Curtis Samuel on the first snap of the fourth quarter.

The five-time defending AFC East champion Bills advanced to the divisional round for a fifth straight post-season, and will face the third-seeded Baltimore Ravens next Sunday.

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EAGLES 22 PACKERS 10

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts tossed two touchdown passes in his first game since a late-season concussion, Dallas Goedert threw three stiff-arms on a rugged touchdown catch and Philadelphia rode their NFL-best defence to a 22-10 wild-card playoff win over Green Bay.

Hurts threw for a modest 131 yards but played with no hesitation in his return from a three-week layoff after a concussion in December. He started strong — six straight completions to open the game — and held off the Packers with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Goedert in the third quarter that will be forever stamped on the franchise’s post-season highlight reel.

Philadelphia’s defence handled the rest.

The Eagles turned a recovered fumble on the opening kickoff into Hurts’ first TD pass three plays later and the defence picked off Jordan Love twice in the first half. Holding a 19-10 lead in the fourth, the Eagles forced a turnover on downs when Green Bay had a fourth-and-3 on its own 41 with five minutes left in the game.

Quinyon Mitchell had one final interception of Love with 1:51 left in the game that sealed the win for the NFC East champions, who’ll play either the L.A. Rams or the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday.

Love threw for 212 yards and was intercepted three times as he nursed a sore right elbow that was injured in the regular-season finale against Chicago.

The Associated Press