The Washington Commanders sure like to keep things interesting. Trying to secure the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs, Washington struggled throughout Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
At halftime, head coach Dan Quinn had seen enough. He removed rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels from the game to ensure he’d be healthy for next weekend’s playoff game. That meant we’d see veteran Marcus Mariota for the final 30 minutes.
How’d Mariota respond? The 10-year pro completed 15 of 18 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner to wide receiver Terry McLaurin with three seconds remaining.
Here’s the touchdown.
CLUTCHHHHHHH
đź“ş #WASvsDAL FOX pic.twitter.com/i5W55JC4JJ
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 5, 2025
Wow.
On the game-winning drive, Mariota, facing a fourth-and-1, ran for 33 yards to get Washington in field-goal range. However, the Commanders weren’t going for the tie. After a timeout, Mariota hit tight end Zach Ertz inside the 10-yard line. After spiking the ball, Washington had one play remaining before attempting a field goal to tie and send the game into overtime.
The Commanders, for the third straight week, took it down to the wire with their fifth consecutive win to finish the regular season 12-5.