3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to blame for nail-biting Wild Card playoff loss to Commanders

The Washington Commanders beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-20, on Sunday night to advance to the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs. The sixth-place Comms will battle the top-seeded Detroit Lions in what profiles as arguably the most exciting matchup of next weekend's slate.

For the Bucs, this was an especially heartbreaking loss. This game was well within in reach for the NFC South champs. Mike Evans torched his longtime rival, Marshon Lattimore, all game long, but in the end, a few costly miscues left the door open for a notoriously clutch Jayden Daniels and this upstart Commanders offense.

It ended, comically (or tragically) with a game-winning doink from Washington kicker Zane Gonzalez. Kicking has been a challenge all season for the Commanders, who have cycled through several legs before landing on Gonzalez for the stretch run. It all worked out Sunday evening.

This was the seventh win on the final possession of a game for Washington this season. Daniels, a rookie quarterback, continues to mount clutch drives late in the fourth quarter.

Tampa, on the other hand, is done for the season. It was an impressive campaign for the Bucs, who battled through injuries in a crowded division, but in the end, here are the Buccaneers we are blaming on their final Sunday of the campaign.

3. Josh Hayes couldn't contain Terry McLaurin when the Bucs needed it most

Bucs starting cornerback Jamel Dean left the game early with a knee injury. That put backup Josh Hayes under the microscope as Tampa Bay attempted to slow down an explosive Commanders passing attack. It's safe to say... the results were not what Buccaneers fans were hoping for.

Terry McLaurin feasted all night, reeling in seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Hayes spent a lot of time lined up opposite McLaurin down the stretch and, unfortunately, the second-year DB was not up to the task.

Hayes was pretty the only card left in the deck for Todd Bowles and the defense. The Dean injury was brutal — he's already missed five games this season with various ailments — but it's a next-man-up mentality in the playoffs. The next man up for Tampa Bay could not cut it.

Tampa's defensive backfield has been a point of weakness all season long. Hayes is far from the only member of the defense who underperformed on Sunday. In the end, though, his whiffs on McLaurin stand out in an especially harsh light. We know where Tampa should focus its NFL Draft and free agent resources.

2. Todd Bowles' time management is once again under scrutiny

When your team comes up short in the playoffs, it's hard not to blame the head coach. It's always the coach.

Todd Bowles has been great all season, but the former Pro Bowl defensive back is in charge of orchestrating Tampa's defense. Washington's offense tore through the Bucs like a hot knife through butter when it mattered most. Bowles naturally gets dinged for that.

He was also heavily criticized on Sunday night for a few baffling clock management decisions. The Bucs let too many valuable seconds slip off the clock in the fourth quarter.

Washington ended up scoring on all but one drive after halftime — a fourth-and-goal turnover on downs early in the fourth quarter. Dan Quinn did not punt once. Tampa was forced into a couple punt situations, which Bowles can't really take the blame for, but it's hard not to contrast styles here. Quinn consistently showed faith in his offense and took the aggressive approach, whereas the Bucs generally erred on the side of caution.

Late-game execution has been a struggle for the Bucs all season. Too often, we've seen Tampa Bay undermine its own success with crippling mistakes when the clock is dwindling. Washington is perhaps the sharpest fourth quarter team in the NFL. That dichotomy was glaringly apparent on Sunday.

1. Baker Mayfield's fumble was the turning point in Tampa's loss

This was a quiet performance overall for Baker Mayfield, who has been one of the most productive QBs in the NFL this season. He established a fruitful connection with Mike Evans early in the contest, but even that waned down the stretch. The Pro Bowl wideout only tallied two receptions for 26 yards after halftime.

Mayfield finished with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 15-of-18 passes. Tampa leaned heavily on Bucky Irving and the run game throughout, and Mayfield was efficient, if not much else. The straw that broke the proverbial camel's back, however, was a costly fumble with 11:58 left in the fourth quarter.

That came mere moments after Tampa's defense stopped Washington at the goal line. Mayfield's miscue handed possession right back to the Commanders, which led to a Jayden Daniels touchdown pass. Rather than building on a four-point lead and potentially putting the game out of reach, the Bucs suddenly found their backs against the wall. It's worth noting that Mayfield was tied for the most fumbles in the NFL during the regular season (13). This has been an ongoing problem.

Mayfield also made a few questionable tuck-and-run decisions throughout the game, struggling to find gaps in a stout Commanders defense. He deserves credit for the job he's done in Tampa, but this was a deflating final performance for the former No. 1 pick.