Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders: Box score, player stats, and game summary feat. Michael Penix Jr., Jayden Daniels

The Washington Commanders entered the penultimate Sunday Night Football game of the 2024 season needing just one more win to clinch a playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons needed to win to keep their hopes of clinching the NFC South alive, especially after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had defeated the Carolina Panthers earlier in the day.

Which of these teams achieved their goal?

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Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders box score

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Overtime	Total
Atlanta Falcons	7	10	0	7	0	17
Washington Commanders	7	0	7	10	6	7

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Atlanta Falcons player stats

Passing

Player	Completions/Attempts	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rating
Michael Penix Jr.	19/35	223	1	1	71.5

Rushing and receiving

Player	Carries	Yards	Touchdowns	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
Bijan Robinson	17	90	2	3	8	0
Tyler Allgeier	3	19	0	0	0	0
Michael Penix Jr.	2	3	0	0	0	0
Drake London	0	0	0	7	106	0
Kyle Pitts	0	0	0	4	44	1
Darnell Mooney	0	0	0	2	37	0
KhaDarel Hodge	0	0	0	1	9	0
Charlie Woerner	0	0	0	1	6	0
RayRay McCloud III	1	14	0	1	13	0

Defense

Player	Total tackles	Solo tackles	Sacks	Tackles for Loss	Interceptions
Jessie Bates III	12	7	1	1	0
Kaden Elliss	9	7	0	0	1
Justin Simmons	6	6	0	0	0
Nate Landman	6	5	0	0	0
Mike Hughes	6	3	0	1	0
Dee Alford	6	3	0	0	0
JD Bertrand	5	3	1	1	0
Grady Jarrett	5	3	0	0	0
Matthew Judon	4	4	1	2	0
Eddie Goldman	3	0	0	0	0
DeAngelo Malone	3	0	0	0	0
Arnold Ebiketie	2	2	1	0	0
Lorenzo Carter	2	2	0	0	0
David Onyemata	2	1	1	1	0
Demone Harris	2	0	0	0	0
Kentavius Street	1	1	0	0	0
Richie Grant	1	1	0	0	0
A.J. Terrell	1	1	0	0	0
Ray-Ray McCloud III	1	0	0	0	0
Avery Williams	1	0	0	0	0
Michael Penix Jr.	1	0	0	0	0
Zach Harrison	1	0	0	0	0
Ruke Orhorhoro	1	0	0	0	0

Kicking

Player	Field goals	Extra points
Riley Patterson	1/2	3/3

Punting

Player	Punts	Yards	Inside 20	Longest
Bradley Pinion	3	139	0	61

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Washington Commanders player stats

Passing

Player	Completions/Attempts	Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions	Rating
Jayden Daniels	24/36	227	3	1	100.1

Rushing and receiving

Player	Carries	Yards	Touchdowns	Receptions	Yards	Touchdowns
Jayden Daniels	16	127	0	0	0	0
Brian Robinson Jr.	13	60	0	2	9	0
Chris Rodriguez Jr.	5	16	1	1	12	0
Olamide Zaccheaus	1	8	0	8	85	1
Jamison Crowder	0	0	0	3	25	0
Zach Ertz	0	0	0	6	72	2
Terry McLaurin	0	0	0	1	5	0
Jeremy McNichols	1	5	0	2	5	0
John Bates	0	0	0	1	14	0

Defense

Player	Total tackles	Solo tackles	Sacks	Tackles for Loss	Interceptions
Quan Martin	8	7	0	0	1
Bobby Wagner	6	0	0	0	0
Michael Davis	6	6	0	0	0
Jeremy Chinn	5	2	0	0	0
Dorance Armstrong	4	1	1	1	0
Benjamin St-Juste	3	3	0	0	0
Mike Sainristil	3	2	0	0	0
Jer'Zhan Newton	3	1	0	0	0
Dante Fowler Jr.	2	1	1	1	0
Jeremy Reaves	2	1	0	0	0
Daron Payne	2	1	0	0	0
Javontae Jean-Baptiste	2	1	0	0	0
Clelin Ferrell	2	0	0	0	0
Jonathan Allen	1	1	0	0	0
Jalyn Holmes	1	1	0	1	0
Brycen Tremayne	1	1	0	0	0
Percy Butler	1	1	0	0	0
Jamison Crowder	1	0	0	0	0
Kevon Seymour	1	0	0	0	0
Sheldon Day	1	0	0	0	0
Frankie Luvu	1	0	0	0	0
Tyler Biadasz	1	0	0	0	0
Noah Igbinoghene	1	0	0	0	0

Kicking

Player	Field Goals	Extra points
Zane Gonzalez	1/1	3/3

Punting

Player	Punts	Yards	Inside 20	Longest
Tress Way	3	153	2	60

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Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders game summary

Disaster struck the Falcons almost immediately, when Michael Penix Jr. was intercepted by Quan Martin on the very first drive. Jayden Daniels was quick to punish that blunder, finding Olamide Zacchaeus in the end zone for six:

But Bijan Robinson needed just around four and a half minutes to respond with a short burst to the end zone to tie the game:

Both teams traded punts on the next two drives. Disaster then hit the Commanders early in the second quarter when Kaden Elliss intercepted Daniels. Robinson was quick to punish it with another touchdown:

To end the first half, the Falcons forced another punt, then punished it with a field goal.

The second half began with the Commanders reducing the deficit via a touchdown to Zach Ertz. Then they quickly forced a punt and punished it with a touchdown by Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Needing a strong drive, the Falcons managed to get within the opposing 49 - only for Penix to be sacked and nearly lose possession, causing a punt that was punished with a field goal.

But finally, with just under a hundred seconds left, Penix found Kyle Pitts for six to tie the game. The Falcons then forced another punt, but Riley Patterson missed the potential game-winner, causing overtime.

The Commanders needed just one drive to end the game, with Ertz catching his second touchdown to send the team to the playoffs.