Commanders Clinched 6th Seed; Beat Cowboys; Next Up: Tampa
- Michael Campbell
- Jan 7
- 4 min read
The last game of the season usually doesn't have all that much importance when it comes to a major shake up in the NFL. This past Sunday, however, had many critical implications for the Commanders.
We have to beat Dallas. It is always and has always been, even if the season is lost, we MUST beat Dallas.
Beating Dallas secures a higher seed in the playoffs avoiding the 2nd seeded team, which would likely be the Eagles.
Green Bay had to lose to a Bears team which had not won a game since we beat them.
With a history of bad luck when a win was needed, Washington consistently has failed to show up. Our situation has always been win and your in, or if we win we lose the 1st pick in the draft, or winning will give a playoff home game, or winning will put Dallas out of the playoffs.
For every example above, Washington has done the opposite.
What Changed?
April 25th, 2024
This was the day that Jayden Daniels was drafted the Washington Commanders as the 2nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit, Michigan. This is the date for the NFL Draft that currently, most will remember. I had my doubts about Daniels considering the success he had at LSU after transferring out of Arizona State.
Daniels had a single season of noticeable success at LSU. He had 2 phenomenal wide receivers with Malik Nabors (6th overall NY Giants), and Brian Thomas Jr. (23rd overall to Jacksonville Jaguars) who are having amazing rookie seasons, but I was not sold on the single season performance as I have seen numerous draft picks before who fizzled after having a single season of success in college.
All that said, I repeated to myself, trust in AP.
January 5th, 2025
Yesterday, even though the Commanders had clinched a playoff birth, they had not officially clinched the coveted 6th seed. The NFC South had a play in determining our opponent, but securing the 6th seed could happen two ways: Win against Dallas or Green Bay loses to Chicago.
As a fan, I felt like Tom Hanks in Big inserting a quarter into Zoltar Speaks. As a kid he puts a quarter into the machine and makes a wish. The machine spits out a card that says "You're wish has been granted." He wakes up the next morning a grown adult. For my case, and I believe most fans, the wish would have been that all scenarios would come true.
Well I didn't need Zoltar.
Green Bay ended up losing on a late field goal from the Chicago Bears to end up losing their game thus giving the 6 seed to the Commanders, nullifying any other scenario having the Commanders lose out on the 6th seed.
Thanks to Marcus Mariota who led a late 4th quarter drive down by 3 throwing an absolute gem fade pass to Terry McLaurin in one on one coverage with 6 seconds to go, and McLaurin high pointing the ball with 2 hands coming down with both feet in bounds securing the go ahead score with 2 seconds left on the clock, the Commanders secured their playoff birth with a win against the Cowboys and finishing 12-5 on the season, the first 12 win season since 1991.
Commanders Playoff Opponent
Of course the playoff brackets were nearly set when games ended on Sunday. All scenarios have been played or derived so there was no real suspense on who the next opponent would be. Thankfully, the Commanders travel to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers. There should be good weather which makes it great for football.
Tampa Bay has had an up and down year, but for the first game of the season, they did defeat the Commanders pretty handedly.
This matchup brings back memories of the playoffs against Tampa when Joe Gibbs was coach for the 2nd time around. The "Redskins" beat the Buccaneers 17-10 and scored all their points in the first half. That was when Sean Taylor was still alive, and the famous replay of the fumble recovery and score by Taylor is arguably one of the most memorable moments of that game.
Offense
The Bucs offense ranks 4th in the NFL in scoring with 502 points. They have a sharp running attack with a very good receiving corps. Mike Evans is a 6-5 monster who hauled in 11 TD's this season at the age of 31, and eclipsed the 1000 yard receiving mark for the 10th time in his career. Mayfield finished with 4500 yards passing with 41 TD's and 16 INT's. Pretty impressive for a QB on his 4th team.
Bucky Irving and Rachaad White lead the rushing attack with Irving reaching over 1000 yards rushing this season.
Defense
LaVonte David leads this offense with 122 total tackles. David has been a tackling machine for the better part of a decade and a player I would have loved the Commanders to go after if they didn't get Frankie Luvu or Bobby Wagner. The defense has converted to a 3-4 base under Todd Bowles. Vita Vea anchors that front line as a true Nose Tackle, but their edge rushers are as active as any. Not a double digit pass rusher on the roster, but none the less, they have the ability to get after the QB.
The secondary is a little suspect but Zyon McCollum has been a real star at CB. His ability to play the ball is exceptional and will likely be following McLaurin most of the game. McCollum had 17 pass deflections on the year to go along with 2 INT's and 82 total tackles. For a CB, 82 tackles is amazing.
Expectations
This Commanders team has already exceeded expectations as they were considered a rebuild. I am going to take this season with a grain of salt with hopes that great things can happen in the years to come. There are definitely areas on the roster that need attention. The Commanders need a new home.
I would not bet against the Commanders in this upcoming playoff game, but it certainly has the makings to have Mike Evans be a huge factor for Tampa Bay. If Marshon Lattimore is able to go, it will help, but the best defense would be to keep the Bucs offense off the field as much as possible.
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