Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels threw three touchdowns, including the overtime game-winner, as the Washington Commanders reached the playoffs with a dramatic 30-24 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
The result, on the penultimate week of the season, also meant that the Los Angeles Rams enter the playoffs as National Football Conference (NFC) West divisional champions.
In a fascinating battle of two talented rookie quarterbacks, with Daniels up against Atlanta’s Michael Penix, it went down to the wire.
Photo: AFP
Down 24-17 with 1:19 left, Atlanta tied up the game when Penix, who had led an excellent 12 play, 68-yard drive, found Kyle Pitts with a 13-yard pass into the end-zone.
Washington failed to make first down, giving Atlanta a chance to win the game in the final seconds and they had an even bigger chance when a pass interference penalty left the Falcons with a 56-yard field goal for a walk-off win.
However, Riley Patterson’s attempt landed short, sending the game into overtime.
Daniels marched down field, putting together a 12-play, 70-yard drive, winning the game by zipping the touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz to set off the celebrations.
“To be able to play with Jayden at the end of my career is such a blessing for me,” Ertz said.
“The whole league should be on notice with him. Everyone loves playing with him, he’s the ultimate team guy, the ultimate leader and he just gave me a chance at the end of the game,” he said.
The Philadelphia Eagles, without their starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, clinched the NFC East division title, handing the Dallas Cowboys a humiliating 41-7 defeat.
The damage to the Cowboys, who gave up four turnovers, was done by the Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley who put up 167 yards on 31 carries to pass the 2,000 yard mark for the season.
Barkley, who has 2,005 yards, needs to put up 101 yards next week to break Eric Dickerson’s record for the most rushing yards in a season, set for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984.
The win means the Eagles are guaranteed at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The Buffalo Bills take the second seed in the American Football Conference, behind the Kansas City Chiefs, after a 40-14 win against the New York Jets.
The Bills led 12-0 at the half before their quarterback Josh Allen took total control of the game with touchdown passes to Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman either side of a rushing score from James Cook.
Allen, who threw for 182 yards, had opened the scoring with a one-yard rush.
Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions and was sacked four times.
The Minnesota Vikings remain in contention for the NFC’s top seed after they edged NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers 27-25.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw touchdown passes to Jordan Addison and Cam Akers in the third quarter to open up a 27-10 lead, but then the Packers came alive.
Carrington Valentine intercepted a Darnold pass intended for T.J. Hockenson and that pick proved to be a momentum shift.
The Packers scored on the next possession with Josh Jacobs’ 2-yard rush, and although Darnold’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Cam Akers restored the 17-point lead, the Packers sensed a comeback was possible.
Emanuel Wilson rushed in from 5 yards and then Jordan Love found Malik Heath with a 3-yard pass to make it a two-point game with 2:19 left.
However, Darnold, who threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, handled the pressure well as he saw the Vikings to the finish line.
The Indianapolis Colts were eliminated from playoff contention after falling 45-33 to the 3-13 New York Giants.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their post-season hopes alive as Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-14 rout of the Carolina Panthers.
The Miami Dolphins also remain in contention after backup Tyler Huntley, standing in for the injured Tua Tagovailoa, threw for 225 yards and a passing and rushing touchdown in a 20-3 win over the Cleveland.
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
RSS