Washington Commanders win in overtime to clinch play-off berth
The 30-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons was enough to earn a wildcard berth for the Commanders.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Washington Commanders secured a play-off spot after beating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in overtime.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels rushed for 127 yards, throwing for another 227 and for three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Zach Ertz.
The Commanders staged a dramatic comeback from a 10-point deficit at half-time, sending them to the play-offs for the first time in four years.
The win was enough to give the Los Angeles Rams the NFC West title as it ended the Seattle Seahawks hopes ahead of their meeting in the final week of the season.
The Falcons need other results to go their way along with a win over the Carolina Panthers in their final game.
Saquon Barkley became the ninth running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season as the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
The 27-year-old achieved the feat with a 23-yard run during the fourth quarter of the Eagles’ crushing 41-7 success at Lincoln Financial Field.
Barkley is 100 yards short of Eric Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards, set in 1984 for the Los Angeles Rams, ahead of next week’s regular season finale against the New York Giants.
However, he could be rested for that game in order to protect him from injury ahead of the play-offs.
The Minnesota Vikings scored their ninth consecutive win after hanging on to beat the Green Bay Packers 27-25.
Sam Darnold threw touchdowns to Cam Akers, Jordan Addison and Jalen Nailer, pushing his total for the season to 35.
The victory set up a final-week showdown with the Detroit Lions for both the division title and top seed in the NFC.
The Miami Dolphins kept themselves in the play-off race with a 20-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
With Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa out with a hip injury, replacement Tyler Huntly threw for 225 yards and a touchdown.
Miami will need to beat the New York Jets and hope the Denver Broncos lose to the Kansas City Chiefs to clinch the final AFC wildcard berth.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept alive their dreams of reaching the play-offs by overcoming the Carolina Panthers 48-14.
Veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield produced a dominant performance at Raymond James Stadium, registering five passing touchdowns to equal a Buccaneers franchise record.
The Buffalo Bills clinched the AFC conference number two seed for the post season with a 40-14 success over the New York Jets at Highmark Stadium.
Josh Allen passed for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another.
Buffalo finish the 2024 regular season undefeated at home, with eight wins from as many games.
The Indianapolis Colts’ hopes of reaching the play-offs were ended by a 45-33 defeat to the Giants.
Malik Nabers exploded for 171 yards and two touchdowns and Ihmir Smith-Marsette broke a 100-yard kick-off return to give the Giants their highest-scoring output under head coach Brian Daboll.
Quarterback Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and accounted for a fifth on the ground to seal the win.
Elsewhere, Mac Jones threw two touchdowns to help the Jacksonville Jaguars defeat the Tennessee Titans 20-13, while the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New Orleans Saints 25-10.