The Washington Commanders secured the No. 6 seed in the upcoming NFC playoffs with their 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 18, but they did not finish the game with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels on the field.

Head coach Dan Quinn pulled Daniels from the game when the quarterback experienced leg soreness. Daniels played the first half for the Commanders, but Quinn decided to keep Daniels on the sidelines and turn the game over to backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.

The Commanders had clinched their playoff spot in their Week 17 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons, but they were playing for positioning in the NFC playoff grid. Since they were able to come through with a victory over the Cowboys, that gave them the No. 6 spot over the Green Bay Packers.

If the Commanders had lost the game and the Packers had beaten the Chicago Bears, Green Bay would have been the No. 6 seed and the Commanders would have been the No. 7 seed. However, the Commanders managed to avoid that scenario even though their star rookie quarterback did not play in the second half.

The victory means the Commanders will face the third-seeded Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The Packers will face the second-seeded Philadelphia Eagles.

Daniels could have returned and should be available in Wild Card game

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at AT&T Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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Quinn did not want to take a chance with Daniels suffering a significant injury against the Cowboys. The head coach said that Daniels could have played had the Commanders needed the game to make the playoffs but there was not enough of a reason to risk his quarterback's health.

After Daniels came out of the game, Mariota was more than adequate in leading the Washington attack. He completed 15-of-18 passes for 161 yards with 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Mariota also ran the ball 5 times for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Mariota's 5-yard touchdown pass to top wide receiver Terry McLaurin with 3 seconds left in the 4th quarter was the winning play in the game. The backup quarterback directed an 11-play, 81-yard drive that gave the Commanders the victory over their long-time rivals.

Daniels completed 6-of-12 passes for 38 yards in the first half . He also ran the ball 4 times for 27 yards, with a long run of 16 yards. McLaurin caught 8 passes for 62 yards and the game-winning touchdown.

Dallas quarterback Trey Lance nearly led his team to the victory in the Cowboys' season finale. He completed 20-of-34 passes for 244 yards and while he did not throw a touchdown pass, he kept it clean on the interception side of the ledger.