Mariota, in for ‘sore’ Daniels, leads Commanders​on January 6, 2025 at 12:31 am

DALLAS — Their young Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, rookie Jayden Daniels, was sidelined with mild leg soreness. So the Washington Commanders turned to their older Heisman winner to lead yet another last-second victory.

Quarterback Marcus Mariota threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to receiver Terry McLaurin with two seconds remaining Sunday to give the Commanders a 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys and the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoffs.

Washington (12-5) will visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or the Los Angeles Rams in the first round. If the Rams lose to Seattle later Sunday, then Washington will play at Tampa Bay (10-7).

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said he decided to sit Daniels at halftime.

“Jayden had some mild soreness in his leg, and I thought we were going to need [the quarterback’s] legs in this game,” Quinn said. “They were [getting] upfield, so I thought this is going to be a game where the quarterback’s going to have to use their legs some. And that was accurate.”

Daniels said he felt some “leg soreness” and that it played a part in his ability to get out of the pocket.

“I respect the decision DQ made, so now I’m just getting ready for next week,” said Daniels, who added that if Washington did need to win in order to clinch a playoff spot he would have kept playing.

“A 100%. They’d have had to drag me off the field.”

It was the Commanders’ fourth win in a row either on the last play of the game or the last one from scrimmage. They stopped New Orleans on a two-point conversion with no time remaining to win by one; they beat Philadelphia on a touchdown pass on the final play from scrimmage; and they beat Atlanta with an overtime touchdown.

They’ve also won games on a Hail Mary (to beat Chicago) and a field goal (to beat the New York Giants). They’re 8-4 in games decided by eight points or less.

“We have a flair for the dramatics, that’s for sure,” said McLaurin, who set a franchise record with his 13th touchdown reception.

That flair has resulted in Washington’s first playoff appearance since 2020 and most wins since 1991.

But the new part Sunday was who led the comeback: Mariota, who won the Heisman 11 years before Daniels. Both were the No. 2 pick in their respective drafts: Mariota in 2015 and Daniels last spring.

All week Quinn had been clear he wanted to win to keep momentum and earn the No. 6 seed. Washington struggled in the first half and trailed 6-3 at halftime as Daniels struggled. He completed 6 of 12 passes for 38 yards and was sacked four times in the first half.

But Quinn was right about needing the quarterback’s legs in the second half. Mariota ran for five times for 56 yards — after Daniels had run four times for 27 yards in the first half. Mariota scored on a 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Then, with 33 seconds left in the game, he ran 33 yards on a fourth-and-1 zone read run around left to the Dallas 16.

“I wish it scored honestly,” Mariota said. “I mean, maybe a few years ago.”

He connected with tight end Zach Ertz for 11 yards on the next play and, taking a snap with six seconds left, hit McLaurin in the back corner of the end zone — throwing the ball high enough so McLaurin could reach up over cornerback DaRon Bland.

McLaurin called Mariota “one of the more humble players I’ve ever been around.”

It capped a chaotic few weeks for Mariota, who returned to Oregon nearly two weeks ago for the birth of his son, Maika, on Christmas Day.

“It’s been a very surreal couple of weeks,” Mariota said. “Very blessed to have my little son and yeah, it’s been very, very, very special for me. It’s hard to put into words.”

Quinn has praised Mariota all season for how he’s been with Daniels, and those close to Daniels have said how much he has helped him. Mariota replaced Daniels after he injured his ribs in a Week 7 win over Carolina, throwing for 205 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-7 win. Mostly, though, he’s served as a mentor to Daniels.

“It means a lot,” Daniels said, smiling. “I’m so happy for him and everything he’s been through in his career. He didn’t have to take me under his wing and he’d done that plus more. So I was so happy for him to go out there and have a game like this. Last play, go out there and walk it off.”