It was more than just a playoff win.
Washington captain Jeremy Reeves proposed to his longtime girlfriend Michaela Worley after the team's thrilling overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, which clinched a spot in the playoffs on Sunday.
Reeves, 28, ran up to Worley on the sideline at Northwest Stadium in Maryland and got down on one knee to ask the physician's assistant to marry him.
Worley, a former University of Louisiana-Monroe volleyball player, was seen falling to her knees in tears as she placed her hands on her face and told him “yes.”
After the proposal, Reeves' teammates rushed to the happy couple to celebrate.
Captain Punter Tres Way embraced the pair with a hug as fans cheered in the stands above them as they headed toward the locker room.
The safety said he had the ring for some time and was thinking about asking her last week but chose to wait until after Sunday night's game.
“This thing was burning a hole in my pocket,” Reeves told the Associated Press.
However, he knew the leaders would have to win if he got down on one knee – making the game all the more poignant for the 28-year-old.
“I hate losing, so it's impossible to do it in the right spirit after losing,” he said.
“If we win this game, it's fate.”
Reeves said Worley has been his “best friend since high school” and has supported him through the highs and lows of his football career.
The safety said he knew Worley was the one who stuck with him “through the worst” after he suffered a season-ending ACL tear in October 2023.
“She deserved it. I can't say enough about her. When I was at my lowest last year, she was there to pick me up every day. She showed up,” Reeves said.
“I was at my worst last year with a torn ACL. I couldn't do anything, I couldn't be my own man, and she was the crutch that stood by me when I couldn't do it for myself.”
The former South Alabama star was not drafted as a free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018 before being waived shortly after.
Reaves is in his sixth season with the Commanders after being promoted to their active roster in 2019.
The engagement was the cherry on top of an action-packed night in Maryland.
The leaders clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2020.
If the Commanders (11-5) win the regular-season finale in Dallas next weekend, they could move up to the sixth seed in the NFC and set up a wild-card round matchup at Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams.
Otherwise, they would have finished seventh and visited rival Philadelphia unless Green Bay lost to Chicago.
With mail wires
