ASHBURN, Va. — Hope is a powerful thing, but belief is even stronger, and that’s what the Washington Commanders have plenty of after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 in the Wild Card Round.

That belief didn’t just show up in Florida, however, it has been growing ever since the Commanders first got together for OTAs and into rookie minicamp, and so on. Every step this team has taken, the belief it has in itself has grown.

Because of it, while most are going to predict Washington will lose to the Detroit Lions this weekend, the coaches and players believe in themselves. And they believe that if they have the ball last with a chance to win they’re going to, because that is exactly what defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. believed last weekend – and it came true.

“We’re going to win,” is what Whitt says he felt after his defense stopped the Buccaneers’ last possession of the game. “This game here, so it was a second-and-one. We got the stop. And then third-and-one, they sort of bobbled it, we get the stop. Now, they punted to us, I think it was four minutes or something else. Alright, ‘We’re going to go down and win it,’ That’s winning time. We got the stop that we needed, the special teams secured the ball, and we went down there and kicked the field goal. So, that’s what complementary football was all about, playing as a team.” 

Sunday night, the Commanders put together one of the cleanest performances they have had as a team in over a month. Penalties were low–though we’re sure the coaches would say any penalty is too many–mistakes weren’t critical, and like Whitt said, the football was complimentary.

Head coach Dan Quinn knows that’s exactly what his team will need again to keep their season going for at least one more weekend.

“Much like last game, I told you we’ll play our best complimentary game all year, offensively, defensively, and special teams,” said Quinn. “And Detroit in this game calls for that again. And so, we’re working hard on all those things from our field position stuff, our winning time moments, just all of it.”

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

• Commanders Get Unexpected Boost in Win vs. Buccaneers

• After Playoff Win, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Isn’t Satisfied

• Commanders Share Thoughts as Game-Winning Field Goal Doinked In

• Dan Quinn Reveals Emotion During Final Kick in Commanders-Buccaneers

Purdue vs. Washington player grades: Boilers wake up in second half

Team GPA: 3.4

Braden Smith: A-

Fletcher Loyer: B+

Trey Kaufman-Renn: B+

 C.J. Cox: B-

Caleb Furst: A-

Myles Colvin: B-

Camden Heide: B

Gicarri Harris: B-

Raleigh Burgess: NA

How I do these

Incoming Washington state Gov. Bob Ferguson outlined his plans Wednesday to help individuals while also making government more responsive and efficient, during his inaugural address as the state Legislature convened for its first week of session.

Ferguson, 59, was the state’s top prosecutor for more than a decade before being elected Washington’s 23rd governor. He replaces Gov. Jay Inslee, a national political figure who has served three consecutive terms — the longest in state history.

Ferguson, a Democrat, takes over at a time when Washington faces a budget shortfall of at least $12 billion over the next four years. His budget proposal calls for reducing state agency spending by at least $4 billion, while protecting K-12 education, public safety and the ferry system.

But he stayed away from the numbers during his 30-minute address. Instead, he delved into his family’s history while calling out to specific lawmakers, both Democratic and Republican, about his desire to work with them to support law enforcement, farmers and young people.

“Let us listen to one another without consideration for party so that the strongest argument prevails,” he said. “That is how we do our best work.”

Ferguson said he supports the Homes for Heroes legislation, which ensures access to low-interest home loans for officers, firefighters and health professionals. He also backs efforts to address the youth mental health crisis and said he wants to adopt reasonable limits on the governor’s emergency powers.

He said he would work with President Donald Trump “where we can,” but added: “We will stand up to him when we must, and that most certainly includes protecting Washingtonians’ reproductive freedom.”

To that end, Ferguson said he would immediately sign an executive order directing the Department of Health to convene a roundtable of experts and policymakers to work on the issue.

He also wants the state to pass a law that prohibits the National Guard from other states from coming into Washington to advance any of the president’s agendas without the state’s permission.

“Texas and Montana have adopted similar policies,” he said. “Washington must join them.”

Washington ranks last in the country for the per capita number of law enforcement officers, he said. His proposed budget plan calls for $100 million every two years to increase the number of law enforcement officers in Washington state. He also wants to invest $600 million in the capital budget to build more housing and spend $240 million every two years to guarantee school lunches for every Washington student.

Free breakfast and lunch should be part of a basic education, he said during his address.

“This will improve learning for kids and save money for working parents,” he said.

Ferguson said government can stand in they way of a state’s fiscal strength and stability, so he wants to speed things up, improve customer service and make sure individuals are at the center of every decision made.

“I’m in politics because I believe in the power of government to improve people’s lives,” he said. “At the same time, we must recognize government does not always meet that promise. So let me be clear — I’m not here to defend government. I’m here to reform it.”