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 Commanders are going to have to play a near-perfect game to usurp the Lions in Detroit on Saturday night and punch a ticket to the NFC championship game. How exactly journeyman quarterback Marcus Mariota fits into that plan remains to be seen.

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.

With the Commanders opting to sit Jayden Daniels in the second half due to leg soreness, Marcus Mariota came on and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with two seconds remaining to give Washington a 23-19 win over the Cowboys.

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.

Washington trailed 9-3 ahead of their first drive of the second half, so they are saving Daniels for the playoffs

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

The Commanders are going to have to play a near-perfect game to usurp the Lions in Detroit on Saturday night and punch a ticket to the NFC championship game. How exactly journeyman quarterback Marcus Mariota fits into that plan remains to be seen.

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.