It was a successful night for Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves, for more reasons than one.
After helping his team to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2020, Reaves then got down on one knee to propose to his long-term girlfriend Mikaela Worley.
With the Northwest Stadium crowd celebrating the win, Reaves helped Worley down from the stands, before popping the question at the side of the field.
Morley sunk to her haunches, tears flowing, before saying, “Yes.” The pair then embraced as teammates ran over the celebrate with the happy couple.
“Glad we got to share that moment with the best fans in the world!” Reeves posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, after the game.
It was the perfect ending to a brilliant night for the Commanders, who were superbly led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels, who was the second overall pick in this year’s NFL draft and a Heisman winner while at LSU, found tight end Zach Ertz for the game-winning touchdown as the Commanders offense did not allow the Falcons to get an offensive possession in the overtime period.
It wasn’t a straightforward game for the young Commanders squad as both teams went back-and-forth trading scores.
For the second week in a row, the 24-year-old Daniels had to lead Washington to a come from behind win after the Commanders found themselves down 17-7 at halftime.
Washington whittled away at the deficit until a two-yard rushing touchdown from Chris Rodriguez early in the fourth gave the team the lead for the first time since the game’s early going.
However, the story of the contest was the battle between Daniels and fellow rookie Michael Penix Jr.
The 24-year-old Penix Jr., making his second career start, found tight end Kyle Pitts to tie the game at 24-24 with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter.
The Atlanta QB was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft six picks after Daniels and both found themselves fighting to keep their respective teams alive in the playoff race in the last two weeks of the campaign.
Despite throwing an interception on his first possession of the game, Penix Jr. rebounded, finishing with 223 yards and a touchdown.
Daniels, meanwhile, flashed his future All-Pro potential in the win, ending the day 24-of-36 for 227 yards and three touchdowns – with one interception – through the air while adding 127 yards off 16 carries on the ground.
Ertz, who finished with two touchdowns, told the NBC broadcast after the game that the league is on “notice” with Daniels.
“It’s been a long couple years honestly,” Ertz said. “Being able to play with Jayden at the end of my career is such a blessing for me. The kid is – the whole league should be on notice with him. Everyone loves playing with him. He’s the ultimate team guy. He’s the ultimate leader and he just gave me a chance at the end of the game.”
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley carries the ball in Philadelphia on Sunday, December 29. Barkley became just the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. The Eagles also clinched the NFC East division crown with their 41-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
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As for Daniels, he not only fortified his Offensive Rookie of the Year resume, but he also made yet more NFL history along with it.
He broke former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III’s rookie rushing mark of 815 yards set in 2012 following a seven-yard run in the fourth quarter. Daniels now has 864 rushing yards on the season, the most all-time for a rookie.
Griffin III praised the young quarterback for breaking his record in a post on social media.
“I wanted Jayden Daniels to break my rookie rushing record because I’m not about rooting against the next generation,” Griffin III posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “He EARNED IT. He is the FUTURE. Some of these old heads need to stop drinking all that haterade and lift up these young guys instead of tearing them down.”
With the win, not only do the Commanders punch their ticket to the playoffs but so do the Los Angeles Rams.
Due to a strength of victory tiebreaker, the Rams win the NFC West over the Seattle Seahawks due to wins from the Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings in Week 17.
As for the Falcons, they no longer control their own destiny for the NFC South crown.
Atlanta needs to defeat the Carolina Panthers in the final game of the NFL regular season next week and hope for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the New Orleans Saints to clinch a playoff spot.
The Commanders face the Dallas Cowboys on the road next week and Daniels says that’s all he’s looking ahead to.
“We going to have to see man,” Daniels said after the game. “I love my team against anybody. I love the brotherhood that we built, but we got to take it one game at a time. We go to and play Dallas (Cowboys) next week and we will worry about the playoffs after that.”
