Commanders playoff schedule: Wild Card Round opponent, dates and times
The Washington Commanders clinched a playoff berth in Week 17 with a win over the Atlanta Falcons thanks to a comeback led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in overtime.
Washington has been a delightful surprise this season. They went 4-13 last year and ended up hiring Dan Quinn as head coach, Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator, and drafting Heisman winner Jayden Daniels second overall. Now the Commanders are 12-5 and have secured a playoff berth.
What does the Commanders playoff schedule look like? Let's take a look.
Who will the Commanders play in the Wild Card round?
The Washington Commanders (No. 6) will travel to Tampa Bay to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (No. 3) in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. This game will be a Week 1 rematch where Tampa Bay took the opening week victory 37-20.
The game will be a matchup between two of the league's top offenses. The Buccaneers are ranked third in yards per game with 399.5 with the Commanders not far behind in seventh with 369.6. Jayden Daniels is well on his way to being named the Offensive Rookie of the Year while Baker Mayfield is an MVP favorite. Daniels is even being recognized as a contender for MVP as well.
Neither Washington nor Tampa Bay's defenses are spectacular. This game could very well be a shootout between offenses. Tampa Bay will have difficulty containing Daniels' mobility while Washington will need to put pressure on Mayfield's ability to evade sacks and extend plays.
Commanders playoff schedule: Dates, times for every round
Date and Time | Playoff Round | Opponent | TV Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
Sun. Jan 12 (8:00 p.m. EST) | Wild Card Round | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | NBC |
Sat. Jan. 18 or Sun. Jan. 19 | Divisional Round | TBD | TBD |
Sun. Jan. 26 | NFC Conference Championship | TBD | TBD |
Sun. Feb 9 | Super Bowl LIX | AFC Champion | TBD |
This is the first time that Washington will be in the playoffs since 2020. Ironically, they played the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round then and lost 31-23 to eventual seven-time Super Bowl Champion Tom Brady.
Dan Quinn has put the building blocks in place for Washington to have a successful playoff run. Veteran players like Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Terry McLaurin, and Marshon Lattimore have been in this position before while players like Zach Ertz and Bobby Wagner know what it takes to win a championship. For players like Jayden Daniels, Brian Robinson Jr., and Dyami Brown, it's a completely new experience.
The younger stars have shown their appreciation for being able to get to where they are and they can't help but credit the talent and tenacity of rookie QB Daniels for resetting the culture in Washington.
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