Commanders walk off Buccaneers with doink field goal; Patriots hire Mike Vrabel as coach

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🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE WASHINGTON COMMANDERS … AND THE REST OF THE WILD-CARD WINNERS

The Commanders are not for the weak of heart. But it’s just that — their heart, their belief — that has fueled a miraculous turnaround and, now, the franchise’s first playoff win since the 2005 season. Zane Gonzalez doinked in a 37-yard field goal as time expired to lift visiting Washington to a 23-20 win over the Buccaneers.

• It’s Washington’s seventh — SEVENTH!!! — victory on the final play of the game this season. Jayden Daniels, as always, was at the center of it: He threw a go-ahead touchdown to Terry McLaurin halfway through the fourth quarter, and one possession later, with the game tied, outraced Calijah Kancey for a crucial first down to set up Gonzalez’s game-winner.
• There were two key Tampa Bay mistakes that stand out. Baker Mayfield botched a handoff deep in his own territory. Bobby Wagner recovered, setting up the McLaurin touchdown. On the next possession, a mistimed snap forced Tampa Bay to settle for a field goal. Daniels took it from there.
• Daniels put the team on his back, throwing or running for 304 of Washington’s 350 yards. He’s just the fourth rookie quarterback to win a road playoff game. As Cody Benjamin writes, “He’s got ‘it.'”

The Commanders face the Lions next, and while Detroit is rightfully a healthy home favorite, this Washington team has never minded long odds.

As for the other winners …

• The Eagles slugged out a 22-10 win over the Packers thanks to four Green Bay turnovers. Keisean Nixon fumbled the opening kickoff return, Jalen Hurts found Jahan Dotson for a touchdown three plays later, and Jordan Love threw three interceptions. A.J. Brown even got some reading done during the game as Philadelphia’s defense wreaked havoc.
• The Bills dismantled the Broncos, 31-7, scoring the game’s final 31 points after Denver scored on its opening drive. Josh Allen threw spectacular touchdown passes to Ty Johnson and Curtis Samuel, but I particularly liked how Buffalo kept James Cook (23 carries, 120 yards, one touchdown) busy all afternoon.
• The Ravens thumped the Steelers, 28-14, with Lamar Jackson (175 passing yards, two touchdowns, 81 rushing yards) and Derrick Henry (186 rushing yards, two touchdowns) overwhelming Pittsburgh’s defense. Jackson had a movie hero comparison for his backfield mate, and this is exactly why Baltimore got Henry. Baltimore very much looked the part of a title contender.
• The Texans picked off Justin Herbert four times — including a pick-six by Eric Murray and two majestic picks by Derek Stingley Jr. — en route to a 32-12 win. That’s Scorigami, thanks in part to a wild blocked extra point returned for two points. C.J. Stroud made some history after a tough start.

Here’s the updated playoff bracket and schedule.

👍 Honorable mentions

🏈 And not such a good morning for …

THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS … AND THE REST OF THE WILD-CARD LOSERS

They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And we ought not mince words: That’s exactly what the Steelers do.

Pittsburgh has lost six straight playoff games. Its last postseason win was in the 2016 season, with Ben Roethlisberger beating the Alex Smith-led Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes was still at Texas Tech). It has been a really, really long time.

No, Mike Tomlin isn’t going anywhere. But he needs to make big changes because his seasons are starting to look awfully similar.

• The Steelers win a bunch of games — we all know Tomlin’s never had a losing season, though what are you supposed to do with that, hang a banner? — including a few thanks to some splash plays/luck/magic. This season, that included two touchdown-less wins.
• The win total makes them look like a title contender.
• But looks are deceiving. The offense’s ceiling is too low, the defense/special teams magic can’t bail it out, and you get another playoff loss. It’s all the same, whether it’s Russell Wilson or Kenny Pickett or Mason Rudolph or past-his-prime Roethlisberger.

So when talented but mercurial wide receiver George Pickens says he’s not optimistic going forward, it’s stunning but not surprising. Not counting replacement selections, the Steelers haven’t had a Pro Bowl offensive skill position player since Brown in 2018. It’s nice to have a high floor, but at some point, the ceiling has to rise. Ten-win playoff seasons shouldn’t feel this discouraging.

As for the weekend’s other losers … 

• The Buccaneers’ mistakes will certainly haunt them. It’s a brutal way for such a good offense to go out, but in Mayfield, Mike Evans, Bucky Irving and Tristan Wirfs, the bones of a very good offense remain in place.
• The Packers finished 0-6 (including playoffs) against teams with at least 11 wins and 11-1 in all other games. That’s the perfect summation of this team: really good, not great. Love’s turnover issues returned at the wrong time. I’d like to see improvements at pass rusher and interior offensive line.
• It was a great year that ended with a thud for the Broncos. Bo Nix showed encouraging signs, and this defense is legit … and here to stay.
• Similarly, it was a great year but a rough end for the Chargers. Los Angeles needs upgrades across its offensive skill positions. Herbert remains in search of his first playoff win.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Patriots hire Mike Vrabel as coach

The Patriots have their guy, and they didn’t stray far: Mike Vrabel will be New England’s next coach and lead the team he won three Super Bowls with as a linebacker. It’s the first head coaching vacancy filled this offseason.

• Vrabel, 49, was considered the front-runner as soon as the Patriots fired Jerod Mayo — another former Super-Bowl winning linebacker with the franchise — last Sunday.
• Unlike Mayo, Vrabel has head coaching experience … and terrific head coaching experience at that. He went 54-45 in six years as Titans coach from 2018-23, a stint that included three playoff trips. He was 2021 AP Coach of the Year. As Jonathan Jones writes, Vrabel brings a winning pedigree.
• Vrabel interviewed with the Jets, but that was only to put pressure on New England to make this move, Aditi Kinkhabwala reported. He also interviewed with the Bears.
• Old friend Josh McDaniels is in the mix for offensive coordinator.

Meanwhile, the Bears, Jets, Raiders, Saints and Jaguars continue their coaching searches.

🏈 Ohio State to meet Notre Dame in national championship; Arch Manning set to take over at Texas

The College Football Playoff National Championship is set after (8) Ohio State‘s 28-14 win over (5) Texas. The Buckeyes will face (7) Notre Dame in the title game, a matchup of two of the four winningest programs of all time.

Jack Sawyer added his name to Buckeyes lore in the defining moment. Down 21-14 late, Texas had a fourth-and-goal at the Ohio State 8-yard line. That’s when Sawyer burst around the edge, stripped Quinn Ewers, picked up the fumble and rumbled 83 yards for the game-sealing touchdown. Of course, Texas doesn’t get to fourth-and-goal at 8 without failing on a pair of goal-line runs.

Here’s more from Ohio State’s Cotton Bowl triumph:

So now it’s the Buckeyes and the Fighting Irish. They have lots of history — including an Ohio State win in the final moments last season — and we already have expert picks.

We’ll have plenty of preview content over the next week, but for now, we say goodbye to a strong season for the Longhorns and a restorative era for the program under Ewers. David Cobb looked at what’s next, and the biggest thing is it’s Arch Manning time on the Forty Acres, Shehan Jeyarajah writes.

• Jeyarajah: “In his limited action, Manning flashed the immense upside and a few skills that already ranked among the elite in college football. His deep ball accuracy made for some incredible highlights. Manning also excelled as a runner, a skill that could have been useful next to a wildly inconsistent running game. … He looked the part of a freshman at times, too.  … If Manning is the quarterback that is promised, he has the potential to lead Texas to the promised land for only the second time in the last 50 years. That’s the new bar. That’s the new expectation.”

🏀 Cooper Flagg breaks records; South Carolina women crush Texas

Cooper Flagg was already producing at a superstar level. Now, he’s putting his name in the record books, too. Flagg scored an ACC freshman-record 42 points in No. 4 Duke‘s 86-78 win over Notre Dame. The Blue Devils forward showed off the entire offensive repertoire with four 3-pointers, a huge dunk and a 16-for-17 performance from the free throw line. He was among the winners in our weekend winners and losers in men’s college basketball.

It wasn’t such good news for Flagg’s top competition for player of the year. Johni Broome left No. 2 Auburn‘s 66-63 win over South Carolina with a sprained ankle. He won’t need surgery, but he is out indefinitely, Matt Norlander reports.

On the women’s side, No. 2 South Carolina posted a resounding 67-50 win over No. 5 Texas. As always, it was a total team effort from the Gamecocks, Isabel Gonzalez writes.

• Gonzalez: “The Gamecocks starters did their job with Te-Hina Paopao as an efficient scorer and Chloe Kitts matching her team-high 11 points. Raven Johnson flirted with a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, and … Bree Hall did an excellent job defending Madison Booker. … But this being South Carolina, the highlights don’t stop there. The Gamecocks entered this game averaging 43.4 points off the bench, tops in Division I. Eight Gamecocks scored against Texas on Sunday, and seven of them tallied at least seven points.”

Here are more headlines from the weekend:

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏀 Vanderbilt at No. 6 LSU (W), 7 p.m. on SEC Network
🏈 Vikings at Rams, 8 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Grizzlies at Rockets, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Spurs at Lakers, 10:30 p.m. on NBA TV