There was a lot of excitement on Sunday night in the nation's capital, and the playoff results were filled throughout the battle between the Atlanta Falcons and. Washington officials.
While this one came down to the wire, the Chiefs prevailed with a 30-24 victory above the Falcons to earn their spot in the postseason.
The Commanders improved to 11-5 on the year, earning them a berth as a wild card team.
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Washington Commanders wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (14) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. (Geoff Burke-Imagn Images)
Meanwhile, the Falcons head into Week 18 needing to win out A loss to the Buccaneers defending the NFC South – their only chance to reach the playoffs as other teams hold better records.
As mentioned, more time was needed for this competition, but the reason for it was the true rookie season for Michael Penix Jr., the eighth pick of the Falcons who went against the selection of the total number of Officers No. 2 Jayden Daniels.
Throughout the season, Daniels excelled as a potential Rookie of the Year, making excellent plays to put Washington in position to reach the playoffs.
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But Penix, early in his young career, found himself down with less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter and a playoff spot on the line.
Penix capped the scoring with a fourth-and-goal 13-yard strike between several Chiefs linebackers to tight end Kyle Pitts, who tied the game after the extra point was passed. above.
After a foul by Daniels and the Chiefs, who had a chance on the game-winning drive, Penix and the Falcons had just one minute to try to get into the field for Riley Patterson's goal.
They got even closer after Penix found Darnell Mooney for a 25-yard pickup that got them close to the field. However, on third-and-5 from the Atlanta 49-yard line, a pass from Penix to Mooney resulted in a defensive interception, allowing Patterson to at least attempt 56 -yarder for the win.
The ensuing kick was on the line, but it didn't have enough leg as it landed in the back of the end zone to force overtime.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Northwest Stadium. (Amber Searls-Imagn Images)
But while Penix was having his rookie season, Daniels added another game-winning drive to his game after winning the coin toss and securing the ball from Atlanta.
As Daniels did against the Philadelphia Eagles last week, he drove down the field for 12 plays using his arms and legs, killing 7:18 of overtime until finally finding himself with and third-and-goal from the Atlanta two-yard line.
Daniels dropped back to pass and flipped the ball to tight end Zach Ertz, whose second play was the game-winner.
Daniels finished the game with 227 yards passing with three touchdowns and one touchdown, while rushing for 127 yards on 16 carries.
Olamide Zaccheaus was the first touchdown pass for Washington, and led the team with 85 yards on eight receptions. Ertz finished with 72 yards on six carries.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) prepares to throw the ball against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half at Northwest Stadium. (Amber Searls-Imagn Images)
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For the Falcons, Penix finished the night 19-for-35 for 223 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Drake London was the game's top receiver with 106 yards on seven carries.
Bijan Robinson also had 90 yards on 17 carries with two touchdowns.
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