Commanders have a shocking Pro Bowl candidate hiding in plain sight

At last, the Washington Commanders are finally back in the win column. They beat the New York Giants on the road in Week 15, holding on despite two late fumbles from quarterback Marcus Mariota and running back Jeremy McNichols.

The Commanders benefited from several careless mistakes by the Giants, including two missed Younghoe Koo field goals. But the biggest game-changing play came right before halftime.

Rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane took a punt return to the house, giving the Commanders a 19-7 lead after the Giants had the chance to grab the advantage heading into the break. It's not the first time he's scored on special teams this year, and that should turn heads around the league.

Commanders rookie Jaylin Lane is making a strong case for Pro Bowl consideration

Lane caught the ball in what already would have been solid starting field position for the Commanders, who were only looking to get in field goal range by the end of the half. A couple of missed tackles later, and the former Virginia Tech playmaker was off to the races.

Washington's fourth-round pick became the only player in the NFC to have multiple punt return touchdowns this season. His average yards per return coming into the game was 11.7, which ranks third conference-wide behind only the Seattle Seahawks' Tory Horton and Rashid Shaheed, who was traded from the New Orleans Saints, among players with a legitimate sample size.

For the Commanders, it's been a long time since they had a punt returner as explosive as Lane. Before this year, they hadn't scored a punt return touchdown since Jamison Crowder housed one against the Baltimore Ravens in 2016. He has given Washington's special teams unit a much-needed boost, and the Clover High School graduate should have long-term value at the position.

Lane has been struggling in the passing game, particularly with drops and fumbles. He went without a catch at MetLife Stadium for the third consecutive week. He may eventually become a more reliable contributor on offense, but it looks like he's best suited to return punts.

There's also a strong case for Lane to be the NFC's Pro Bowl representative at the position.

He's as explosive as any punt returner in the NFL, and there's not much competition within the conference. The Commanders probably won't have much representation in the league's All-Star game, but they could end up earning a surprise appearance from one of their rookies.