The Commanders took a major gamble with Jayden Daniels in the lineup on fourth down. But Marcus Mariota ended up getting criticized.

Decidedly not how they drew it up. The Washington Commanders are going to have to play a near perfect game to usurp the top-seeded Lions in Detroit on Saturday night and punch a ticket to the NFC

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota attempts to flip the ball the fellow quarterback Jayden Daniels, but is tackled by Detroit Lions defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad prior to getting the pass off.

The Washington Commanders head into the playoffs with a rookie sensation at quarterback and an invaluable backup who embodies leadership and resilience.

Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota had some high praise for rookie, Jayden Daniels's future after Week 18

Daniels’ day is done. The Commanders pulled him at halftime, placing him in bubble wrap for the second half as the team looks ahead to the postseason. Marcus Mariota started the second half. The Cowboys started third quarterback Trey Lance, who is 14-of-24 for 167 yards, but the Cowboys are 0-for-4 in the red zone.

Jayden Daniels revealed the unexpected reason he was forced to leave the Washington Commanders win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18.

Veteran Marcus Mariota will finish the regular season at quarterback for the Washington Commanders. With a playoff spot locked up, head coach Dan Quinn chose to play it safe in the second half and sit rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The Dallas Cowboys are looking to their division rival to take away one of the biggest pieces to Washington's young QB's success

Throughout the season, Marcus Mariota has served as the backup to Daniels in Washington. Mariota played his college ball at the University of Oregon, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2014. Mariota and Daniels make up the only quarterback room in the NFL with multiple Heisman winners.

Daniels rarely displays emotions during games. Instead, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn recalled that the most emotional he's seen Daniels is for a teammate, when backup quarterback Marcus Mariota led a game-winning touchdown in their Week 18 game against the Dallas Cowboys.