The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw a very promising 2024 season come to an abrupt end on Sunday night when Zane Gonzalez's 37-yard field goal try hit the right upright and banked through as time retired, giving the visiting Washington Commanders a 23-20 win in the Wild Card round. The Buccaneers had tied the game five minutes earlier on a 32-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal, but they never touched the ball again after that.
The Buccaneers are now 2-2 all time in the postseason against the Washington franchise. The Buccaneers won in the Divisional Round in 1999 and the Wild Card round in 2020, while Washington won in the Wild Card round in both 2005 and now 2024.
That defeat ended the Buccaneers chase for the franchise's third Super Bowl title, but it also extended the team's streak to five straight seasons of qualifying for the postseason. That is the longest such streak in Bucs history and they are the only team in the NFC to have made it to the playoffs in each of the last five seasons. Only two AFC teams – the Kansas City Chiefs (10 seasons) and Buffalo Bills (six) are on longer active postseason runs. The Buccaneers have also won four straight NFC South titles for the first time in team history, tying the New Orleans Saints (2017-20) for the longest streak since the division was formed in 2002.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield continued to excel in postseason play, as he led his team to the playoffs for the third time in his seven NFL seasons and played in his fifth playoff game overall. Against Washington, he completed 15 of 18 passes (83.3%) for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, compiling a passer rating of 145.6. That marked the third time in those five postseason contests that he has topped a passer rating of 100, and it set a new single-game playoff record for Tampa Bay.
Highest Passer Rating, Single Game, Buccaneers History
| Quarterback | Opponent | Date | Att-Cmp-Yds-TD-INT | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | Washington | 1/12/25 | 18-15-185-2-0 | 146.5 |
| Tom Brady | Kansas City | 2/7/21 | 29-21-201-3-0 | 125.8 |
| Baker Mayfield | Philadelphia | 1/15/24 | 36-22-337-3-0 | 119.8 |
| Tom Brady | Philadelphia | 1/16/22 | 37-29-271-2-0 | 115.2 |
| Tom Brady | Washington | 1/9/21 | 40-22-381-2-0 | 104.3 |
View the best photos of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' regular season Wild Card Round vs. the Washington Commanders
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Mayfield's 83.3% completion rate also set a new playoff record for the Buccaneers, topping the previous record of 78.4% set by Tom Brady against Philadelphia in the first round of the 2021 playoffs. Among all NFL players, that single-game completion percentage was the second best recorded in the postseason since 2012.
Highest Single-Game Completion Rate, NFL Postseason, 2012-24
- Josh Allen, Bills (vs. New England, 1/15/22): 84.0%
- Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers (vs. Washington, 1/12/25): 83.3%
- Jared Goff, Lions (vs. L.A. Rams, 1/14/24): 81.5%
- Matt Moore, Dolphins (vs. Pittsburgh, 1/8/17): 80.6%
- Deshaun Watson, Texans (vs. Buffalo, 1/4/20): 80.0%
Mayfield's two touchdown passes were caught by wide receiver Mike Evans and rookie running back Bucky Irving. While that was obviously Irving's first postseason score, it was the sixth time that Evans has found paydirt in the playoffs. That ties him for the second most playoff touchdowns scored in team history.
Most Touchdowns Scored, Buccaneers Postseason History
1. Mike Alstott: 7
2t. Mike Evans: 6
2t. Leonard Fournette: 6
4. Rob Gronkowski: 3
5. Many tied w/: 2
With his six scoring grabs plus one two-point conversion, Evans has 38 total points scored in the playoffs, second in team annals among non-kickers to Alstott's 42. He already held the Bucs' postseason records for career catches and receiving yards, but his seven grabs for 92 yards on Sunday night increased those totals to 52 and 801. That yardage total currently ranks fifth among active players, trailing only Travis Kelce (1,904), Tyreek Hill (1,212), Davante Adams (910) and Stefon Diggs (909).
Irving finished the game with 83 yards from scrimmage, including 77 yards on 17 carries. That set a new single-game record for Buccaneer rookies, surpassing the 72 that Warrick Dunn posted against Detroit on Dec. 28, 1997.
Cade Otton caught two passes for 32 yards against Washington, pushing his career postseason total to 244 receiving yards, the most by a tight end in playoff history. Rob Gronkowski held the previous record at 226, just ahead of Cam Brate's (221).
Kicker Chase McLaughlin accounted for the Buccaneers' other eight points against the Commanders, hitting on field goals of 52 and 32 yards and making both of his extra point attempts. He has made six of his seven playoff field goal attempts since joining the Bucs in 2023, including two from 50 yards and beyond. He is the first kicker in franchise history with multiple 50-plus yard field goals in the postseason.
