Washington (13-5 straight up, 11-6-1 against the spread) won a 23-20 decision Sunday night at Tampa Bay thanks to Zane Gonzalez’s 37-yard field goal on the game’s final play. The Commanders won outright as three-point underdogs, hooking up money-line supporters with a +135 payout.
The 43 combined points dropped ‘under’ the 51.5-point total.
The Buccaneers tied the score at 20-20 on Chase McLaughlin’s 32-yard field goal with 4:41 remaining. They wouldn’t get the ball back, though.
Dan Quinn’s team promptly went 51 yards on 10 plays to set up Gonzalez’s game winner, which hit the right upright but still went through to give Washington its first postseason win in 6,945 days. Facing a third-and-six play from their own 34 with 3:20 left, the Commanders got a critical first down thanks to a 21-yard pass from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to Dyami Brown.
Two plays later, Daniels found RB Austin Ekeler for an 18-yard pass to the Bucs 27. Ekeler ran for eight yards on the next play, but he was stopped for no gain on second down to set up a third-and-two situation after Tampa Bay used its second timeout with 59 ticks remaining.
On a designed QB run, Daniels ran for four yards and a first down. Next, the Commanders centered the ball on a kneel down by Daniels and then allowed the clock to drip to three seconds before using a timeout and sending out Gonzalez.
Washington took its first lead of the game by a 7-3 margin on a 10-yard TD pass from Daniels to Brown, who finished the night with five catches for 89 yards and one TD. The Commanders extended their lead to 10-3 on a 52-yard field goal by Gonzalez with 1:52 left in the first half.
But Tampa Bay answered with a seven-play, 74-yard drive that was capped by Baker Mayfield’s one-yard TD pass to Mike Evans with 10 seconds left. The key play of the drive came on an 18-yard run by Mayfield on a third-and-nine play.
Mayfield found Evans on passes of 11 and 20 yards, and he also connected with tight end Cade Otton for 12 yards. The TD pass to Evans was set up by a pass interference call on Washingtoton CB Marshon Lattimore, who was defending Evans.
Washington opened the second half with a 10-play, 66-yard drive, but it had to settle for a 22-yard field goal from Gonzalez. The Bucs immediately countered with a 10-play, 72-yard drive that gave them a 17-13 advantage on Mayfield’s four-yard TD pass to RB Bucky Irving with 4:31 remaining in the third quarter.
With 9:46 left, Washington took the lead back on a five-yard TD pass from Daniels to Terry McLaurin, who had seven catches for 89 yards.
Daniels completed 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards and two TDs without an interception. He had 36 rushing yards on 13 attempts. Ekeler had 27 rushing yards on eight carries and caught three balls for 26 receiving yards.
In the losing effort, Mayfield connected on 15-of-18 throws for 185 yards and two TDs without an interception. Irving had 77 rushing yards on 17 attempts, while Evans had seven catches for 92 yards and one TD.
With the victory, Washington earned a date with the top-seeded Lions on Saturday night in Motown.
As of early Monday afternoon, most books had Detroit installed as an 8.5-point home favorite with a total of 55.5. The Commanders were +425 on the money line at most spots.
Jay Kornegay and his staff at the Westgate SuperBook opened the Lions as 10.5-point ‘chalk’ late Sunday night. The betting shop adjusted Detroit to -9.5 eight minutes later, though, and then went to -9 early Monday morning.
For first-half wagers, most books had Detroit at -6 with a total of 27.5 points on Monday afternoon.
On the AFC side of the postseason bracket, Kansas City was -8 vs. Houston with a total of 41.5 or 42 points. The Texans and Chiefs will collide Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. Eastern.
In the late game Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Eastern, most spots had the Ravens at pick ’em for their trip to Buffalo. The total was 51.5 points.