The Washington Commanders pulled out a last-second 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. It wasn’t the easiest victory.
With Trey Lance starting at quarterback, the Cowboys managed only one touchdown in six trips to the red zone, but they led for much of the contest.
Not helping matters in this game was Daron Payne getting an Unnecessary Roughness penalty that cost the team 15 yards.
It went down in the second quarter with just under 13 minutes to play.
Replay showed that the Washington Commanders defensive lineman took a swing and connected to the face of a Cowboys lineman.
A closer look at that play shows he had every right to do so.
Released and closer footage shows that the unnamed Cowboys player was actually grabbing the groin area of Daron Payne, which is why he got punched in the face mask.
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Okay now I understand why Daron Payne punched that dude on the Cowboys..
— Billy Tinkle (@BillyTinkleNuts) January 8, 2025
67 literally grabbed Payne's nuts after the play was over 😭 Probably learned that from Jerry pic.twitter.com/f1KW2zmU3O
Unfortunately, refs only see the reaction of a second player when things like this happen.
Daron Payne had two combined tackles in this game.
Payne recorded 42 tackles (22 solo), 4.0 sacks, and two pass defenses across 17 games in 2024.
The Washington Commanders Are Trying To Continue Their Dream Season
The Commanders (12-5) finished the regular season with their most wins since 1991.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Commanders will play in the NFC Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, January 12, at Raymond James Stadium.
Behind quarterback Jayden Daniels, the team has a real chance to continue their special season.