The Washington Commanders head into the playoffs with a rookie sensation at quarterback and an invaluable backup who embodies leadership and resilience.

Marcus Mariota’s clutch play in the game’s final seconds earned the Commanders a six playoff seed highlighting the power of unseen preparation.

The Washington Commanders closed out the regular season on a high note, winning their last five games. Their latest victory

With the Commanders opting to sit Jayden Daniels in the second half due to leg soreness, Marcus Mariota came on and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with two seconds remaining to give Washington a 23-19 win over the Cowboys.

Jayden Daniels' rookie season is going so well that it makes sense that he sees Sunday night's playoff contest as "just another game." Perhaps Daniels will feel differently once the ball is kicked off as he attempts to lead the sixth-seeded Commanders past the third-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC wild-card game at Tampa,

Terry McLaurin noted how backup Marcus Mariota has been "the right kind of person" to share a quarterback room with Jayden Daniels.

Jayden Daniels was no match for the Bucs in September. Can they stop him again? Photo: Thomas Simonetti for the Washington Post via

The Commanders drafted Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The LSU product and former Heisman Trophy winner had plenty of potential, but it was unsure how his inaugural season would play out.