Ahead of the Washington Commanders’ 23-20 wild card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, there was a lot of talk about all of the “firsts” the organization was experiencing — Washington’s first time securing at least one win over each of their three divisional opponents since 2015; its first playoff berth since 2020; and the first time quarterback Jayden Daniels would take the field in the playoffs, period.
Despite being seasoned players, even veterans can have firsts in the postseason, too. One that has largely flown under the radar is linebacker Bobby Wagner’s first career playoff fumble recovery.
With Tampa Bay on their 15-yard line with a four-point lead in the fourth quarter, quarterback Baker Mayfield intended to hand the ball off to wide receiver Jalen McMillan on a jet sweep, but things didn’t go to plan for the Buccaneers.
Although it’s unclear whether it was a botched snap or a miscommunication on the timing of the handoff between Mayfield and McMillan, the ball ended up loose and Wagner immediately pounced on the fumble to recover it for the Commanders.
“I saw there was a fast motion, and I was kind of bumping toward the motion, and then I saw him [McMillan] fumble it and saw the ball on the ground,” Wagner said of the play in his postgame press conference. “I knew we needed that ball, so I made sure I got it instead of him [Mayfield].”