Falcons, Commanders eye playoff clincher behind rookie QBs

Two teams aiming to secure playoff berths meet when the Atlanta Falcons visit the Washington Commanders on Sunday night in Landover, Md.

The Falcons (8-7) can clinch the NFC South with a win over the Commanders and a loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) against the visiting Carolina Panthers.

The Commanders (10-5) can clinch a wild-card spot - their first playoff berth since 2020 - before they play if the Panthers beat the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon. If Tampa Bay wins, Washington can clinch with a win over Atlanta.

Atlanta is searching for its third straight victory while Washington has won three in a row and could get to 11 wins for the first time since 1991.

According to NBC Sports, Sunday night will be the first time in NFL history that two first-round rookie quarterbacks will start in a primetime game as Washington's Jayden Daniels opposes Atlanta's Michael Penix Jr.

Daniels was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, six selections before Penix.

Penix will make his second career start after replacing Kirk Cousins last week. He completed 18 of 27 passes (66.7 percent) for 202 yards with an interception and led the Falcons to four scoring drives in a 34-7 home win against the New York Giants.

"Me and Mike are boys," Daniels said this week. "Obviously, we trained together. We went through the draft process together, so we built the relationship over that time, and I'm happy for him, you know, he waited his time. He's a phenomenal player in my eyes and, you know, I'm excited to be able to match up against him."

After several drops and missed throws against the Giants, the Falcons were looking forward to another week of practice with Penix.

"I mean, it takes a lot of reps," Penix said. "That's the biggest thing. Just getting those reps in practice, as many live reps as we can -- and we did a lot of reps this past week. We're going to continue to grow.'

Daniels is coming off a five-touchdown performance, including the game-winner with six seconds remaining, to lead Washington to an upset win over the visiting Philadelphia Eagles. He passed for 258 yards and ran for 81 more.

The Falcons realize the danger presented by Daniels' running ability, as he has rushed for a team-high 737 yards along with six touchdowns. Washington entered Week 17 third in rushing (152.7 yards per game) and 16th in passing (220.9 yards per game).

"It adds an extra gap up front. Now, you have to make sure you get up there to make sure you stop that gap," Falcons defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said. "And now, you get too many guys up there, here comes the play-action pass and you leave your guys in the back end open. So, it's going to be a chess match all night long."

Daniels has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes (301 of 432) for 3,303 yards with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Both teams saw their leading receivers on the injury report Thursday. Atlanta's Drake London (83 catches, 978 yards, seven touchdowns) was limited because of knee injury but told reporters he will be good to go on Sunday. Washington's Terry McLaurin (73 catches, 1,029 yards, 12 touchdowns) was limited with an ankle injury after sitting out practice Wednesday.

Atlanta cornerbacks Kevin King (concussion) and Antonio Hamilton Sr. (quad) did not participate in Thursday's practice.

Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen (pectoral) was a full participant and could be activated from injured reserve to play Sunday.

Washington cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) remained out of practice Thursday along with wide receiver Dyami Brown (hamstring), linebacker Jordan Magee (hamstring), safety Tyler Owens (ankle) and tackle Andrew Wylie (groin). Defensive end Clelin Ferrell (knee) was limited after not practicing Wednesday.

--Field Level Media