Commanders vs. Buccaneers score, live updates: Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield face off in NFC wild-card showdown

The Commanders were in control for much of the first half, but a late surge from the Bucs on a good drive ended with a Mike Evans touchdown catch, and we're even at the half. Business picked up in the second quarter and the Commanders will receive the second half kickoff.

He's going to shout out a lot of quarterbacks ... will he shout out Marshon Lattimore?

If you're not a Bucs fan, is there a little bit of you that wishes he could be the quarterback for your team?

The Commanders have been in control of this game, but they're only ahead 10-3. They've run 34 plays to the Buccaneers' 16, but there's 1:52 on the clock and the Bucs have two timeouts before halftime.

Yaya Diaby sacked Jayden Daniels on a third down, but a defensive holding call in the secondary gave the Commanders a first down, and they're on the move again and into to Bucs territory. Tampa has been flagged three times for 28 yards, and they've all been costly.

Baker Mayfield has been OK in the early going, but the Bucs keep getting behind the sticks. A chop block cost the Buccaneers 15 yards, and they were also flagged for a holding penalty that was declined before punting the ball back to Washington. Midway through the 2nd quarter and the Commanders still lead 7-3.

After stopping the bleeding, the Commanders cap a 17-play, 92-yard drive with a touchdown pass. That series took up more than nine minutes and with just under 9:30 to play in the first half, the Commanders have taken a 7-0 lead.

Daniels needs the cut man and we're not even halfway through the bout.

An inside give to Austin Ekeler gets the 4th and 1 and the Commanders are still on the move, at the 22.

This drive started at their own 8-yard-line, and a third down scramble and throw from Jayden Daniels to Zach Ertz was the catalyst for getting the ball out of the shadow of the goal post. Tampa leads 3-0, but both offenses have shown some rhythm in the early going, despite not reaching the end zone yet.

Washington survives the 4th down miss, and the game is still 3-0. It'll need to go the length of the field though, after Jamison Crowder's fair catch at the 8-yard-line.

It was 4th and 2 on the 19-yard-line and the Commanders came up short because of an incompletion. Good defense by the Bucs on this play, but perhaps a field goal to match Tampa Bay would have been a good choice?

Bucs take over at their own 19.

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Jayden Daniels takes over after a record-setting rookie season, setting new NFL marks for completion percentage and rushing yards for a rookie quarterback. Daniels opened his NFL career in Week 1 with a loss, and is looking to help Washington to a measure of revenge.

The Bucs' opening drive stalled in Commanders territory, and it was 3 to open the game for the Bucs. There was an offsides penalty on the play, but coach Todd Bowles elected to not take the points off the board — it would have resulted in a 4th and 2. All points might be important today, with two of the league's highest-scoring teams in the matchup. Washington was fifth in scoring (28.5 points per game) and Tampa Bay was fourth (29.5 points per game).

And it was for a first down, too. Evans became just the second player ever, joining Jerry Rice, with 11-consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons this year, and he's still among the most productive receivers in the NFL.

But Jayden Daniels is actually trying to keep a streak going. Each of the last two seasons (Brock Purdy with the 49ers in 2022-23 and C.J. Stroud with the Texans in 2023-24) a rookie quarterback has won a playoff game. Can the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year make it three years in a row and get Washington a first playoff win in 19 years?

The rookie running back from Oregon would do well for Tampa Bay if he's the best offensive rookie in this game — his 1,122 rushing yards led the team this year, to go along with eight touchdowns on the ground. He topped the 100-yard mark in two of Tampa Bay's last four games and was a major player in the Bucs' big finish to the year, when Tampa Bay won six of seven to close the regular season.