Since the Washington Commanders were eliminated from the postseason with 4 games remaining in the regular season their Week 15 game against the New York Giants, who have also been eliminated, was about as meaningless as it gets.
No one told Commanders rookie Jaylin Lane it was meaningless, however.
For the second time this season, Lane returned a punt for a touchdown, this time with a thrilling, 63-yard score with 1:05 remaining in the second quarter on the way to a 29-22 Washington win. Lane finished with 91 yards on 3 punt returns.
The victory snapped a 9-game losing streak for the Commanders.
Lane, a fourth round pick (No. 128 overall) is tied for the NFL lead in punt return touchdowns.
“Jaylin Lane has punt returns of 20 and 63 today,” Take Command Pod’s Grant Paulsen wrote on X. “The second of them was a house call. He’s got two punt returns for TDs this season. Washington has found their answer in the punt return game.”
The touchdown also brought Lane a piece of franchise history with it.
“WR Jaylin Lane has tied a franchise record with two punt return touchdowns in a single season,” Commanders Public Relations wrote on X. “Lane is the fifth Washington player to achieve the feat and first since RB Brian Mitchell in 1994.”
Lane Could Secure Spot in 2026 With Finish
While it may not have been explicitly said, any player with a brain should know these final 4 games are going to serve as a tryout for a spot on the roster in 2026 with the Commanders coaching staff and front office eyeing a pretty massive roster overhaul.
The Commanders went 12-5 in the 2024 regular season and advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. They entered the season as Super Bowl contenders but are now 4-10 with 3 games remaining in the regular season.
That means something’s going to change this offseason.
While injuries to quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Terry McLaurin were the biggest culprits for failures during the regular season, a series of bizarre offseason moves and consecutive middling drafts in 2024 and 2025 also deserves some of the blame.
For Lane, having both of his punt return touchdowns in wins seems to underline the fact he’s a player the Commander need to keep around. His first NFL touchdown came on a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown in a Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Playmaker Skills on Full Display in College
In 5 seasons at Middle Tennessee State and Virginia Tech, Lane had 4,381 all purpose yards and 23 total touchdowns and scored in a multitude of ways — receiving, rushing and returns.
Somehow, Lane was also 2 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than he’d been listed throughout his college career when he checked in at 5-foot-10 and 191 pounds at the combine and ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing, 4.34 seconds.
“Lane’s 4.34 40-yard speed made the Virginia Tech receiver a coveted target for teams in the middle rounds,” The Athletic’s Ben Standig wrote on May 11. ” … Finding ways to get Lane the ball beyond traditional route running feels like an early goal. That includes returning punts and kicks, which might be how he will contribute primarily as a rookie, along with gunner reps on special teams.”
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