Arizona
Cardinals
12-5
42
FINAL
37
Washington
Commanders
11-6
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Wildcard Round showdown, the Arizona Cardinals narrowly defeated the Washington Commanders 42-37, securing their spot in the next round of the playoffs. Both teams fought fiercely, but it was the Cardinals who emerged victorious in this high-stakes matchup of the 2026 season.
Baker Mayfield had a standout performance for Washington, throwing for 377 yards and four touchdowns, showcasing his ability to lead the offense. However, it was Jeremiyah Love of the Cardinals who stole the show on the ground with an impressive 169 rushing yards, providing a crucial balance to Arizona's offensive attack. The aerial assault was complemented by solid contributions from the receiving corps, including Terry McLaurin, who tallied 163 yards for the Commanders.
Defensively, the Cardinals made key plays to sway the momentum in their favor. Zaven Collins led the team with three total tackles, but it was Kei'Trel Clark's timely interception that proved pivotal, halting a potential scoring drive by Washington. As the game unfolded, it was DeMarvion Overshown's lone sack that added pressure to Mayfield, ultimately contributing to Arizona's narrow win and setting the stage for their next playoff challenge.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 23 | 17 | 74% | 377 | 4 | 1 | 137.2 |
| Desmond Ridder | QB | 14 | 12 | 86% | 207 | 3 | 0 | 158.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 18 | 169 | 9.4 | 38 | 1 | 59 | 0 |
| Antonio Gibson | HB | 3 | 62 | 20.7 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 0 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 7 | 20 | 2.9 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Baker Mayfield | QB | 5 | 18 | 3.6 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Tyler Harrell | WR | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Donald Parham Jr | TE | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Desmond Ridder | QB | 1 | 2 | 2.0 | — | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Terry McLaurin | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elijah Higgins | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaytron Allen | HB | 1 | -6 | -6.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry McLaurin | WR | 5 | 163 | 32.6 | 22 | 1 | 79 | 1 |
| Antonio Williams | WR | 5 | 129 | 25.8 | 43 | 2 | 37 | 0 |
| Elijah Higgins | TE | 4 | 98 | 24.5 | 32 | 2 | 53 | 0 |
| Michael Wilson | WR | 3 | 74 | 24.7 | 20 | 0 | 29 | 0 |
| Chigoziem Okonkwo | TE | 2 | 41 | 20.5 | 12 | 1 | 37 | 0 |
| Tyler Harrell | WR | 3 | 21 | 7.0 | 8 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Jacory Croskey-Merritt | HB | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Stefon Diggs | WR | 1 | 14 | 14.0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Antonio Gibson | HB | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Donald Parham Jr | TE | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 10 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| Jeremiyah Love | HB | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeMarvion Overshown | SAM | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Kei'Trel Clark | CB | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Zaven Collins | LEDG | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Daron Payne | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ameer Speed | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Odafe Oweh | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Frankie Luvu | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Cross | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kain Medrano | SAM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaiir Elam | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trevon Diggs | FS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sonny Styles | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dominique Hampton | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Josh Sweat | REDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Markquese Bell | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shavon Revel Jr | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trey Amos | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Quan Martin | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyler Owens | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jordan Magee | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Bolden | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joshua Josephs | LEDG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chad Ryland | K | 1 | 1 | 3 | 47 |
| Drew Stevens | K | 1 | 2 | 4 | 36 |

