Commanders eye playoff spot in prime-time clash with Falcons

ASHBURN — It’s a new kind of Christmas season for Washington Commanders fans. Instead of looking at mock drafts and preparing for a Top 10 pick in the spring, they’re looking at playoff scenarios amid a potential postseason run.

A win on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons would clinch a playoff berth — Washington’s first since 2020 — in the first season with quarterback Jayden Daniels and coach Dan Quinn. It’s that simple for the Commanders: Win either of their last two games and they’ll reach the postseason.

“It’d be a blessing,” Daniels said Tuesday. “But you gotta go out there and earn it. Nothing is given to you in this league.”

The Falcons, who are mired in a dogfight for the NFC South lead, are the only team in the conference that could catch the Commanders for the third and final wild-card spot. 

The other two spots have already been claimed by the NFC North — where the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions have booked trips to the playoffs — though seeding remains a question. 

“It’s just another game at the end of the day,” Daniels said. 

But a successful result against Atlanta isn’t the only path forward for the Commanders. Even if they lose, Washington could clinch a berth if the Carolina Panthers defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. 

Those odds aren’t great, though. The Buccaneers are favored by eight points at home against the Panthers after defeating their division rival in overtime earlier this month. 

If the Commanders don’t clinch on Sunday, they’ll take their chances in the final week of the season.

Again, a Washington win would seal a trip to the playoffs. The Commanders face the rival Cowboys in Dallas in Week 18, a rematch of Washington’s most recent defeat: a 34-26 upset in Week 12. 

Regardless of the results, the Commanders control their own destiny. They wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It means a lot; it just shows the work we put in and our mentality in the things we’ve been through this year,” safety Quan Martin said. “We’re constantly growing. It feels great.”

Even if they lose their remaining two games, Washington could skid into the playoffs with help from around the league. Defeats from either the Buccaneers or the Falcons on the final day of the season would send the Commanders to the postseason. 

Washington’s players say they aren’t considering those possibilities, though. They’re focused on one game at a time. 

“Everybody else could talk about the implications of what comes with this game and the magnitude of it,” Daniels said. “But for us, we’re out there playing the Atlanta Falcons. Obviously, they’re fighting for something; we’re fighting for something.”