It took nearly a full overtime period but the Washington Commanders won 30-24 over the Atlanta Falcons on “Sunday Night Football” to reach 11 wins for the first time since 1991.
Washington’s offense went 70 yards in seven minutes and culminated in quarterback Jayden Daniels finding tight end Zach Ertz for the game-winning 2-yard touchdown pass.
Daniels had a historic night, completing 24 of 36 passes for 227 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also led the Commanders with 127 rushing yards on 16 carries. Daniels broke the rookie quarterback rushing yards record, previously held by former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III, in the third quarter.
Washington took control early by converting an interception by Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to a touchdown. Atlanta scored 17 unanswered points by halftime, though, and a 10-point deficit was the biggest Washington’s faced all season at the break.
Atlanta running back Bijan Robinson scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half and finished the night with 17 carries for 90 yards and two scores.
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The Commanders came out strong in the second half with a 15-play drive that took up nearly eight minutes of time in the third quarter. Daniels found Ertz for his fifth touchdown of the season to cut the deficit to 17-14.
Washington chewed another seven minutes of clock on their ensuing drive capped off by a go-ahead touchdown run by Chris Rodriguez. Their ensuing drive took 5:30 off the clock but finished off with a field goal.
Atlanta fought back on their next drive as Penix Jr. threw his first NFL touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Pitts on 4th-and-goal and tie the game 24-24. A quick stop by the Falcons’ defense gave the Penix Jr. and company the ball back with 40 seconds to go. They got into field goal range but Riley Patterson couldn’t hit the 56-yard attempt.
Penix Jr. completed 19 of 35 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown, and an interception in his second career start.
Washington began overtime on offense and didn’t let Atlanta’s offense back on the field.
Daniels repeatedly went to former Falcons wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on the night as Atlanta cornerback A.J. Terrell blanketed Terry McLaurin, his typical top target. Zaccheaus tied a career-high with eight catches for 85 yards and a touchdown, but had a critical drop on their final drive of regulation.
Both teams had more success on the ground. Washington had 216 yards rushing and Atlanta tallied 126 by the final whistle.
Washington overcame multiple miscues, including Daniels’ interception and 108 yards in penalties, for their 11th win of the season. The Commanders (11-5) close out the regular season on the road next week against the Dallas Cowboys (7-9).
This loss moves Atlanta (8-8) one game back from NFC South leader Tampa Bay (9-7). The Falcons head home for their regular season finale against the Carolina Panthers (4-12) and need the Buccaneers to lose to the New Orleans Saints to have a chance to win the division and make the playoffs.
NFL PLAYOFF PICTURE: Where things stand in the AFC and NFC
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Jayden Daniels’ 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz gave the Commanders the win in overtime.
More importantly, the win secured the Commanders’ first playoff berth since the 2020 season. It also clinched a postseason spot for the Los Angeles Rams, who are NFC West winners due to a strength of victory tiebreaker over the Seattle Seahawks.
Washington’s gone 68 yards in more than seven minutes to take it deep into the red zone. Washington is facing third-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 2:45 to go in overtime.
Washington won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball and start overtime on offense.
Atlanta’s Riley Patterson attempted a 56-yard field goal but it fell well short and “Sunday Night Football” is headed to overtime.
A zero-yard sack and two incomplete passes meant the Commanders took just 39 seconds off the clock before punting back to the Falcons. Atlanta gets the ball back on its own 19-yard line with 40 seconds to go and two timeouts.
After a 21-yard loss on first-and-goal on a botched snap, the Falcons were able to battle back and score on a Michael Penix Jr. pass to tight end Kyle Pitts on fourth-and-goal. The 13-yard touchdown pass is Penix Jr.’s first as an NFL quarterback and Riley Patterson’s extra point is good to tie the game with 1:19 to go in the fourth quarter.
Facing first-and-goal from the Washington 5-yard line, the Falcons tried a direct snap to running back Bijan Robinson but it went through his hands and back for a 21-yard loss. The Falcons will be facing second-and-goal from the Commanders’ 26-yard line after the two-minute warning.
Washington took more than five minutes to drive 52 yards for their third scoring drive of the second half. A holding call on third-and-goal nullified a touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels to Olamide Zaccheaus to keep the Falcons in contention and force a field goal. Zane Gonzalez knocked it through from 31 yards out to give Washington a seven-point lead with 4:32 to go.
The rookie quarterback rushed for 7 yards on first-and-10 from the Falcons’ 48-yard line in the fourth quarter, giving him 820 rushing yards on the season. That mark breaks the previous record of 815 yards held by fellow Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III set in the 2012 NFL season.
Atlanta’s offense picked up a first down to pass midfield but Commanders defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong sacked Michael Penix Jr. for an eight-yard loss on 3rd-and-10. The Falcons punt for the second time in a row in the second half and Washington’s offense takes over from their own 36-yard line with 10:02 to go in the game.
The Commanders took another seven minutes off the clock with a 14-play, 70-yard drive culminating in a 2-yard touchdown run by second-year running back Chris Rodriguez. Zane Gonzalez’s extra point is good and Washington takes the lead again for the first time since the first quarter.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels used his legs on the drive multiple times, scrambling for 39 yards and two first downs on the drive. He also found Jeremy McNichols for a key conversion on fourth-and-5 in Falcons territory.
Washington’s dominated time of possession in the third frame. The Commanders out-gained the Falcons 125 yards to minus-1 in the quarter. Washington’s offense has the ball at the Falcons’ 14-yard line facing second-and-5 to open the final quarter of the game.
Atlanta managed just five yards before Washington defensive lineman Dante Fowler Jr. got a strip sack on third-and-5. Michael Penix Jr. recovered the ball, but the Falcons had to punt for just the second time all game.
Washington’s offense gets the ball back at its own 30-yard line with 5:06 to go in the third quarter.
Washington’s offense took nearly eight full minutes off the clock in their opening drive of the second half. Jayden Daniels fired a pass to tight end Zach Ertz on third-and-8 for a 10-yard touchdown. Zane Gonzalez’s extra point is good as the Commanders make it a one-score game.
Multiple key plays kept the drive going at crucial moments. An illegal contact penalty on the Falcons’ defense on 3rd-and-22 kept Washington’s offense on the field. Ertz had a 37-yard catch-and-run — his longest catch in three seasons — to get Washington past midfield. Daniels’ 4-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the Falcons’ 16-yard line gave the Commanders a new set of downs and closer to the end zone.
Atlanta’s field goal with two seconds to go sealed a two-score lead after the first half.
After Washington’s opening drive touchdown, the Falcons have clamped down on defense. The Commanders kicked two punts and threw and interception on their three drives after their first touchdown. Atlanta’s pass rush has sacked Jayden Daniels twice and both quarterbacks have thrown one interception through the first two quarters.
Washington will get the ball to start the third quarter.
The Falcons went 51 yards in less than two minutes to make it a two-score game behind a 39-yard field goal by Liam McCullough. Michael Penix Jr. completed 3 of 5 passes for 32 yards on the drive.
A holding penalty and 10-yard sack on consecutive plays forced the Washington offense into a third-and-30 from their own 35-yard line. The Commanders couldn’t overcome that and will settle for a punt on the other side of the two-minute warning. Atlanta will have a chance to score before halftime with all three timeouts.
Atlanta’s offense capitalized on the interception by marching 72 yards in 11 plays for a go-ahead touchdown. Bijan Robinson’s second-and-2 run from the Commanders’ 4-yard line was initially ruled a touchdown run but was called back due to the ball going out of bounds before crossing the plane of the end zone. Two plays later, he made good on that miss with a 1-yard score.
The Falcons ran the ball eight times on the drive for 49 yards.
After a holding penalty backed the Commanders out of the red zone, Jayden Daniels dropped back and threw an interception to Falcons linebacker Kaden Elliss.
Elliss had a short return to give the ball back to the Falcons offense at their own 29-yard line with 10:37 to go in the second quarter.
Facing third-and-6 from their own 33-yard line, Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. dropped back and threw deep for running back Bijan Robinson, who had a step on his defender. The pass fell incomplete and the Falcons were forced to punt. Washington takes over at its own 28-yard line with less than a minute to go in the first quarter.
Falcons rookie linebacker JD Bertrand got to Jayden Daniels for a 13-yard sack on second-and-10 and Washington’s offense couldn’t recover. The Commanders punted for the first time tonight and the Falcons will take over at their own 27-yard line with 2:48 to go in the first quarter.
Two key penalties against the Commanders kept the Falcons alive for a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped off by a rushing touchdown by Bijan Robinson off a direct snap. Liam McCullough’s extra point is good and the game is tied with 5:10 to go in the first quarter.
The Falcons were lined up for a field goal on fourth-and-4 from the Washington 28-yard line. But rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil was lined up offsides and a 5-yard penalty gives Atlanta another shot near the red zone.
Following the turnover, the Commanders made the most of a short field with a seven-play touchdown drive in a matter of three minutes. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels faked a handoff and rolled out to his left before finding Olamide Zaccheaus for a 7-yard touchdown on fourth-and-2.
Zane Gonzalez’s extra point is good and Washington takes the first lead of the game with 9:33 to go in the first quarter.
The rookie dropped back for his third pass of the game and threw it to Commanders safety Quan Martin. Washington’s offense takes over at the Falcons’ 38-yard line with 12:45 to go in the first quarter.
Rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will have the first drive of the game in his second start of the season.
The Commanders and Falcons game will wrap up Sunday’s Week 17 of the 2024 NFL season with “Sunday Night Football” at 8:20 p.m. ET. 
Here’s how the USA TODAY Sports staff feels the Week 17 “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the Commanders and Falcons will shape up: 
For cord cutters looking for a live stream for the matchup, you can turn to Fubo. Fubo carries NBC, as well as CBS, FOX, NFL Network and the ESPN family of networks, meaning you can catch NFL action through the remainder of the season. 
The Commanders are favorites to defeat the Falcons, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Not interested in this game? Check out expert picks and best bets for every NFL game this week. 
Looking to make “SNF” interesting? Here are some of the best bets for the matchup: 
The format remains unchanged from previous years, with wild-card weekend getting things started on Saturday, Jan. 11. Sunday will feature a tripleheader before the round wraps up on “Monday Night Football” on Monday, Jan. 13. 
The Falcons have a fairly simple task ahead of them because they control their destiny. Here’s how Atlanta can get to the playoffs. They clinch a playoff spot with wins in their last two games. 
However, things get dicey with a Falcons loss tonight. Atlanta would hand control of the division back to Tampa Bay with one week to go. Under that scenario, here is how Atlanta can make the postseason: 
The Falcons cannot make the playoffs as a wild-card team. 
The Commanders have several different paths into the postseason. They are as follows: 
The only way the Commanders can be eliminated from postseason contention is if they finish with the same record as the Falcons and Buccaneers. That would allow the Falcons to win the NFC South and the Buccaneers to displace the Commanders in the wild-card race by virtue of Tampa Bay’s head-to-head win over Washington in Week 1. 
Here’s how the NFC East stacks up entering the “SNF” matchup between the Commanders and Falcons: 
Here’s how the NFC South lines up entering the “SNF” matchup between the Falcons and Commanders: 
Here’s how the AFC and NFC stack up entering “SNF”:
AFC
In the hunt: Miami Dolphins (8-8), Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
NFC
In the hunt: Seattle Seahawks (9-7), Atlanta Falcons (8-7)
x – clinched playoff berth
y – clinched division
z – clinched home-field advantage, first-round bye
Here’s how the top 15 picks of the first round of the 2025 NFL draft stack up entering the “SNF” game: 
The Falcons travel North to take on the Commanders and Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. 
The stadium has been home to the Washington NFL team since 1997.
➤ Ranking NFL’s stadiums from 1 to 30: Where does Wsahington’s Northwest Stadium rate?
It’s going to be a rainy night outside the nation’s capital. According to the AccuWeather forecast, it will be near 60 degrees at kickoff and there is a 75% chance of rain with wind gusts maxing out at 27 MPH. There’s a 75% chance of rain at kickoff decreasing to 50% at 10 p.m. ET. 
The New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins with six. 
Washington has won three Super Bowls win five appearances, with the most recent victory coming in Super Bowl XXVI during the 1991 season.
The Falcons have made two Super Bowl appearances, losing both games. The most recent appearance came during the 2016 season, in which the Falcons’ famously lost to the Patriots in Super Bowl 51.
NFL franchises with most Super Bowl wins:
➤ Super Bowl winners: All-time scores, results for NFL title game
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