LANDOVER, Md. — Jaden Daniels connected with Zach Ertz in overtime for his third touchdown pass of the game, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in back-and-forth prime time Sunday night. He led the Washington Commanders to the playoffs. A showdown between the top rookie quarterbacks in the draft.
Daniels finished his rookie year with a season-high 127 yards, completing 24 of 36 passes for 227 yards and one TD pass to Ertz and one to Olamide Zachias. decided to advance to the playoffs.
The No. 2 overall pick in April's draft was his latest performance in a busy season, overcoming an interception and a 10-point deficit at halftime, and was the driving force behind a victory capped by a 2-yard pass in overtime. Ta. To Mr. Ertz.
If the Commanders (11-5) win their final regular-season game in Dallas next weekend, they could move up to the No. 6 seed in the NFC and set up a wild-card round game against Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams. Otherwise, unless Green Bay loses to Chicago, they will finish seventh and visit division rival Philadelphia.
The Falcons (8-8) lost control of their chances to win the NFC South and secure a home playoff game. The Buccaneers need to win against Carolina and lose to New Orleans to earn a full berth.
Atlanta was in control for the first half of the game, crushing Washington's defense with its running game until it gave up. Bijan Robinson ran for 82 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries until one minute left in the second quarter, but he only had eight yards left.
Penix did everything in his power to pull the Falcons back after they fell behind 24-17 late in the game. The No. 8 draft pick, making his second professional start, completed a 12-play, 68-yard drive that tied the game with a touchdown pass to Kyle Pitts with 1:19 remaining.
A throw from Penix to Drake Rondon with two seconds left in regulation resulted in a pass interference penalty, giving Riley Patterson a chance for a go-ahead field goal. However, Patterson's 56-yard attempt fell short as time expired, and Atlanta never got the ball back.
Penix went 19 of 35 for 223 yards.
