Atlanta Falcons vs Washington Commanders Match Player Stats (Dec 29, 2024)
Washington 30, Atlanta 24 (OT) – 29th December 2024
Looking for the Atlanta Falcons vs Washington Commanders match player stats? Here’s everything from Sunday night’s overtime thriller at Northwest Stadium.
Table of Contents
The Key Numbers
Jayden Daniels: 24/36, 227 pass yards, 3 TDs + 16 rushes for 127 yards
Michael Penix Jr: 19/35, 223 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Bijan Robinson: 17 carries, 90 yards, 2 TDs (but just 8 yards after halftime)
Time of possession: Washington 41:32, Atlanta 25:46
Full Player Statistics
Quarterbacks
| Player | Comp-Att | Yards | TD | INT | Rating | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Daniels (WAS) | 24-36 | 227 | 3 | 1 | 100.1 | 5-31 |
| M. Penix Jr (ATL) | 19-35 | 223 | 1 | 1 | 71.5 | 2-12 |
Rushing
| Player | Team | Carries | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Daniels | WAS | 16 | 127 | 7.9 | 25 | 0 |
| B. Robinson | ATL | 17 | 90 | 5.3 | 13 | 2 |
| B. Robinson Jr | WAS | 13 | 60 | 4.6 | 12 | 0 |
| T. Allgeier | ATL | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 8 | 0 |
| C. Rodriguez Jr | WAS | 5 | 16 | 3.2 | 6 | 1 |
| R. McCloud | ATL | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 14 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Team | Rec | Targets | Yards | Long | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. London | ATL | 7 | 13 | 106 | 31 | 0 |
| O. Zaccheaus | WAS | 8 | 9 | 85 | 16 | 1 |
| Z. Ertz | WAS | 6 | 7 | 72 | 37 | 2 |
| K. Pitts | ATL | 4 | 5 | 44 | 23 | 1 |
| D. Mooney | ATL | 2 | 5 | 37 | 25 | 0 |
| J. Crowder | WAS | 3 | 5 | 25 | 9 | 0 |
| T. McLaurin | WAS | 1 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Defensive Leaders
| Player | Team | Tackles | Sacks | INT | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Bates III | ATL | 12 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Elliss | ATL | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Q. Martin | WAS | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| B. Wagner | WAS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Special Teams
- Atlanta: Riley Patterson 1/2 FG (missed 56-yarder as time expired), 3/3 XP
- Washington: Zane Gonzalez 1/1 FG, 3/3 XP
What Actually Happened
Rain was coming down throughout and the wind was gusting over 20mph – proper December football weather in Landover. The 63,480 fans who showed up got their money’s worth though.
Atlanta dominated early. Bijan Robinson was running through Washington’s defence like they weren’t there. Two touchdowns in the first half, 82 of his 90 yards before the break. The Falcons were up 17-7 at halftime and Daniels had managed just 24 rushing yards. Looked like it might be a long night for the home fans.
Then someone must’ve said something at halftime because Washington came out completely different. Robinson suddenly couldn’t buy a yard – Bobby Wagner and that defence absolutely shut him down. 8 yards on 4 carries in the second half. That’s not a typo.
Meanwhile Daniels started running. And I mean RUNNING. 103 yards after halftime including runs of 25, 19 and 17 yards. The Falcons had no answer. Washington ran 39 plays in the second half. Atlanta? Nine. NINE!
The Mad Ending
Down 24-17 late, Penix (in his second career start, remember) drove Atlanta 68 yards in about a minute. Fourth and 11? No problem – 31 yards to Drake London. Fourth and goal with 1:19 left? Penix dropped it perfectly to Kyle Pitts for the TD.
Then with 2 seconds left, Riley Patterson lines up for a 56-yard field goal to win it. Had the distance… but it hooked left. Overtime.
Washington won the toss and Daniels took over. His 16-yard scramble on third down basically ended it. Three plays later he found Zach Ertz from 2 yards out and Northwest Stadium went mental.
The Records and Numbers That Matter
Daniels’ 127 rushing yards broke RG3’s franchise rookie record. He’s now at 891 for the season – most ever by a rookie QB (previous record was 815).
That overtime TD wasn’t just worth 6 points for Ertz either – triggered $750,000 in contract bonuses for reaching 6 TDs and 600 receiving yards. Not bad for a night’s work.
Oh, and Terry McLaurin? 1 catch for 5 yards on 7 targets. A.J. Terrell completely locked him down. That’s why Zaccheaus (facing his old team) and Ertz had such big nights.
Team Stats That Tell The Story
- 3rd downs: Washington 6/13, Atlanta 2/10
- Total plays: Washington 75, Atlanta 58
- 2nd half plays: Washington 39, Atlanta 9
- Penalties: Washington had 13 for 108 yards and it didn’t matter
What’s Next
Washington (11-5): First playoffs since 2020. Beat Dallas next week and they’re the 6 seed. Lose and they’re probably the 7 seed going to Philly.
Atlanta (8-8): Need to beat Carolina AND have Tampa lose to New Orleans. Otherwise their season’s done.
Quick Hits
- Penix looked good for a second start in the rain. That 4th quarter drive was special
- Washington’s defense couldn’t stop Robinson, then completely shut him down. Wild adjustment
- Daniels joining Michael Vick as only QBs with 225+ pass yards, 3+ pass TDs and 125+ rush yards in one game
- Patterson makes that kick and we’re talking about a completely different game
- Five sacks by Atlanta didn’t matter when Daniels could escape and run
- Quan Martin’s 1st quarter INT set up Washington’s first TD
Game info: NBC/Peacock broadcast, 8:20pm kickoff, Northwest Stadium (formerly FedExField), weather was miserable all game
Full Atlanta Falcons vs Washington Commanders match player stats via NFL GameCenter. For more match coverage: Commanders previous games | Falcons season stats
