The Washington Commanders' magical season continued on Sunday night with a thrilling 23-20 playoff victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Gonzalez's last-second field goal attempt bounced off the uprights and through, giving the Commanders their first playoff win since also beating the Buccaneers on Jan. 7, 2006. It was a fitting end to a season that saw Washington rally late in several games.
After returning from their Week 14 bye, all four of Washington's games came down to the final play. They won all four games, starting with a road victory over the New Orleans Saints when they broke up a two-point conversion attempt at the buzzer.
The next week, they beat the Philadelphia Eagles with a go-ahead touchdown from Jayden Daniels to Jamison Crowder with mere seconds on the clock. Then, in Week 17 with a playoff berth on the line, they beat the Atlanta Falcons in walk-off fashion.
Not to outdo themselves, they finished their regular season with backup QB Marcus Mariota finding Terry McLaurin in the end zone with three seconds remaining to beat their heated rival Dallas Cowboys. That's not even including Washington's most dramatic finish of the year, when it beat the Chicago Bears in Week 8 on a Hail Mary from Daniels to Noah Brown as time expired.
It was at that moment that the Commanders, 6-2 at the time, knew they had something special. Now, thanks to yet another cinematic ending, they have their first playoff win in 19 years.
Washington, now 13-5 including the playoffs, will move on to play the top-seeded Detroit Lions in next week's Divisional Round. Whether the ride rolls on from there is anybody's guess, but win or lose, the Cardiac Commanders have officially cemented their status as the storybook team of the 2024-25 NFL season.
