Baker Mayfield, Bucs Lose to Commanders in Playoffs as Miscues Disappoint NFL Fans
Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Miscues in the fourth quarter proved to be the downfall for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
The Washington Commanders secured a narrow 23-20 victory over the Buccaneers, highlighted by a dramatic, doinked game-winning field goal from kicker Zane Gonzalez in their wild card matchup at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
B/R Gridiron @brgridiron
Baker was STUNNED pic.twitter.com/cROxtvfeYd
Jayden Daniels, the frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, delivered an impressive performance, completing 24-of-35 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, propelling the Commanders to the NFC Divisional Playoffs.
Washington Commanders @Commanders
Next stop: Motor City pic.twitter.com/lZ4QoiIWbU
For the Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield, Mike Evans and the rest of the team endured another heartbreaking loss to close their season. Mayfield fought hard, finishing 15-of-18 for 185 yards, two touchdowns but had a costly lost fumble.
The Buccaneers made too many errors on the offensive side, including fumbles and missed snaps, while the team’s clock management on Washington’s final drive also drew criticism on social media:
MarkMaske @MarkMaske
The ball was snapped and no one moved. It wasn’t a false start. It wasn’t offside. Just an odd play. But the Bucs’ gaffes on offense in the fourth quarter are giving chances to the Commanders.
William Patteson @williampatteson
The two critical mistakes from the Bucs tonight:
– Baker fumble on your own 15
– Wonky snap on 3rd & short in opponents territoryMargin of error is razor thin in the postseason.
Nick Wize @iAmNickWize
Todd Bowles and the defense will take the heat for this, but the loss is on the offense.
The fumble after the defense made a massive 4th down stop cost the Buccaneers their season.#WeAreTheKrewe
Kyle Lindemann @LuckIsMadeFF
Bucs are going to potentially lose this game bc of two bad snaps. In this sport, the little details are everything.
Brett Kollmann @BrettKollmann
After the repeated (and egregious) game management issues this season, I have to think there’s a possibility that this is Todd Bowles’ last game as the Bucs head coach.
Marcus Mosher @Marcus_Mosher
NFL coaches lose games every week because they have no idea how to manage the clock.
Todd Bowles is about to lose one in the playoffs because of it. And maybe his job too.
Benjamin Allbright @AllbrightNFL
Bad end of half/game clock management and timeout usage, a tale as old as time.
Andrew Siciliano @AndrewSiciliano
I won’t say anything snarky. However, I agree with those tweeting about clock management.
Tampa Bay kicker Chase McLaughlin opened the scoring on Sunday with a 50-yard field goal early in the first quarter on the Buccaneers’ first possession. Tampa Bay’s defense held Washington scoreless in the opening quarter.
In the second quarter, Washington’s Dyami Brown scored on a 10-yard pass from Daniels, followed by a field goal from Gonzalez, giving the Commanders a 10-3 lead with 1:52 left in the half.
Washington Commanders @Commanders
.@deuce2_ GETS US ON THE BOARD
Tampa Bay quickly responded with a 1:43 possession capped by a touchdown pass from Mayfield to Evans, tying the game at 10-10 heading into halftime.
Out of the break, Gonzalez hit a 22-yard field goal on Washington’s first possession of the third quarter. However, Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving found the end zone with 4:31 left in the quarter, giving the Buccaneers a 17-13 lead heading into the fourth.
The fourth quarter was full of excitement.
It began with a crucial goal-line stand by Tampa Bay’s defense, stopping Washington on fourth down in the red zone. However, moments later, the Buccaneers fumbled at their own 11-yard line, with linebacker Bobby Wagner recovering the ball and shifting momentum back to Washington. The turnover set up a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, giving the Commanders a 20-17 lead.
Washington Commanders @Commanders
BWAGZ 😤😤😤
Washington Commanders @Commanders
PEEKABOOOOOOO 👻
Tampa Bay responded with a McLaughlin field goal, tying the game at 20 with 4:41 left in regulation. The Commanders then mounted an impressive drive, chewing up over 4:30 of the remaining clock, before Gonzalez doinked the game-winning field goal from 37 yards to seal the victory.
Washington Commanders @Commanders
DOINKED IT IN FOR THE DUB!!!!!
The No. 6 seed Commanders will travel to Detroit to face the top-seeded Lions on Jan. 18.
