Let 'em shout. Many of these Commanders have not been here before In the moments following the Washington Commanders' first playoff win in almost two decades, when the belly of Raymond James Stadium swelled with giddy friends and family members of the Commanders' ownership group, some players acted as if they had been here before - because they had. Zach Ertz waded through the VIP cheerleaders emotionless and did not stop until he had reached the X-ray room. Bobby Wagner strolled leisurely, appearing unmoved when he met the serenade of the wealthy well-wishers. And then there was Terry McLaurin. The wide receiver bounced down that same tunnel. And cackled. And screamed, "Yeah!" to no one and everyone in shouting distance. McLaurin, like a handful of other long-time Commanders, has never been here before. So after the 23-20 walk-off win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, offensive guard Sam Cosmi could bleed from a gash in his leg, feel the stinging pain and still not show a hint of a limp. After eight years of absurdity, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen can feel comfortable and not a bit of surprised by the crazy of this season. The good kind of crazy. And when special teamer Jeremy Reaves needed a reporter to inform him of the latest bit of lunacy, how kicker Zane Gonzalez's game-winner actually had bounced off the right upright before caroming through, his response seemed to suggest how he believes this team has a divine right to such wins. "God is good," Reaves said. "To see that pure joy reaction from [fans], this is what we've worked hard for," Reaves added later. "This is what as a player, you want. Like I've said before, this has been a sleeping giant. People are seeing the transition that's happened. Nobody believed that it was going to be in here … it didn't matter what anybody else thought. We believed." Now, these Commanders get catering from a five-star steak house after playoff wins, with to-go packages of chopped wedge salad with grilled chicken, BBQ salmon and filet mignon. Outside the Buccaneers' locker room were boxes of Chipotle. And the Commanders get shout-outs from legends. As Magic Johnson, a member of the Commanders' ownership team, attracted a horde of reporters, he stopped his interview because one of his favourite players had just emerged from the locker room. "Terry! Terry! Terry!" Johnson hollered. Before this season, before the filet mignon and the famous fanboy, McLaurin and others had committed to the Commanders - and found mostly dysfunction in return. Training camp after sweaty training camp, they forced smiles and declared this year would be different - only for it to end 7-10, or 8-8-1, or 4-13. For these players, Sunday night in Tampa meant just a little bit more. "There's no better feeling … to be in that situation and just know that you're going to have a chance to go down there and win the game," McLaurin said. "I don't know if it's necessarily always been that way [here], but this year with this team it's definitely been that." Unlike some of their teammates - from the veterans with championship rings to the fabulous 24-year-old quarterback whose gilded football career already feels like a movie - these once-woebegone Commanders had been deprived of joy in football. Sunday felt like their catharsis. "You got to go through adversity in order to get to the top sometimes," said Cosmi, who had spent his previous three seasons losing on this team - he even survived the Eric Bienemy year. "Pressure makes diamonds. Having the ability to be in that pressure for that long and to be able to do what we did this year, I mean, a hundred percent [I] would do those three years for this. I wouldn't be the player that I am, too, without those three years. Going through all that stuff, all that adversity." As Cosmi reflected on the journey, teammate Tyler Biadasz, freshly showered, noticed a bloodstained towel on the stall next to his. "Sam, are you bleeding over here?" Biadasz called out. "I was bleeding everywhere," Cosmi answered. At some point during the game, Cosmi got cleated and it tore a hole in his burgundy pants. He played on because, compared to the throbbing pain of the past three seasons, an opponent's spikes ripping through your flesh can seem like no big deal. And after the game, Cosmi would say something that would have seemed absurd just a year ago. "I am super thankful in the team for believing in me, believing in each other," Cosmi said, "and ultimately being able to be really, really proud to be a Commander." It wasn't blood, but sweat that affected Allen during his postgame media scrum. He removed his puffer coat as his perspiration continued. But Allen wasn't sweating in the closing seconds of the game. As distressing as it might have been to watch Gonzalez's kick veer dangerously right but still go through, this season has taught Allen to expect dips and bumps. But this time, they end in wins. "To be honest, I wasn't surprised. I wasn't surprised at this point," Allen said. "The way everything's been going." Though Allen played it cool, McLaurin let loose. When he heard Johnson screaming his name, McLaurin squealed back: "Oooweee! OH NO! Wooooohoooooo!"# The pair embraced, and McLaurin told Magic how much he appreciated him and how their talk had come to fruition. McLaurin then hugged Cookie Johnson, Magic's wife, and still on a sugar high, bounced toward the interview room. "Man! I had the time of my life," McLaurin said, again, to no one in particular. Like several of his teammates, McLaurin has fielded so many calls and texts from people who are happy he's finally able to experience team success. According to McLaurin, at times the kind regards can feel a bit much. After all, his time in Washington hadn't been a complete waste. Rather, the disappointments moulded McLaurin into the man and player who spent Sunday screaming in delight. "I've learned over the course of my life, in 29 years so far, to get to it, you've gotta go through it. And this team, this organization, all of us have gone through it," McLaurin said. "To be on the other side and have some fruits of our labour is unbelievable. It's great to now have something that we can look forward to and you don't have to necessarily [focus] on the past, but without that, honestly I wouldn't be the person that I am standing before you today." Candace Buckner, Washington Post, published 13 January 2025