Jayden Daniels is establishing himself as an elite quarterback in the NFL after leading the … [+] Washington Commanders to their first playoff win since 2005. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
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It’s clear that Jayden Daniels is wise beyond his years. The Washington Commanders quarterback led the franchise to their first playoff win since 2005, ending the third-longest drought in the NFL and becoming just the fourth rookie quarterback to win a playoff game on the road.
Daniels completed his first playoff game as if it was another regular season game, going 24-for-35 for 268 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers. That’s not mentioning how he led the game-winning drive as time expired and how he overcame a fourth quarter deficit to win his first playoff game.
And in typical Daniels fashion, he was calm, cool and composed during and after the game.
“One play at a time, make some plays,” says Daniels when asked after the game what his mindset was entering his first playoff game. “We just find that zone, you just focus on your fundamentals.”
The sixth-seeded Commanders — under a new coaching regime in Dan Quinn and a fresh ownership group led by Josh Harris — have completely reshaped their culture in Washington.
The Commanders had gone through a dark tenure under the ownership of Dan Snyder, with the former longtime owner of the franchise being fined $60 million due to sexually harassing a female employee and improperly withholding league revenue.
It’s clear this is a different team with a completely different feel to it. And it’s happened quickly with the change in ownership and the team finally finding its first franchise quarterback in years.
“That’s just the brotherhood, the togetherness that we have in the locker room,” says Daniels. “People who have been in the locker room can see how close we are off of the field. We’re always hanging around each other, everybody gets along with each other. I think those moments, when times get tough, we fall back on those types of moments.”
The positive shift in culture could be seen in the locker room and in the hallways after the game. Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson — one of the members of the ownership group — was seen celebrating and congratulating Zach Ertz and Terry McLaurin just outside of the Commanders locker room after the win.
“These guys, just an unbelievable group regardless of the score,” said backup quarterback Marcus Mariota after the game. “And that’s hard to find. I’ve never been a part of something like this. Regardless of the circumstance, guys believe in each other. It’s fun to be a part of.”
It’s obvious that Daniels will win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. That’s a given after he led all rookie quarterbacks in just about every major passing category his 891 rushing yards on 6.0 yards per attempt, the second-highest average of any NFL player.
However, it’s quickly becoming apparent that Daniels is not only the best rookie quarterback and player in the NFL, he’s developing into an elite quarterback before our very eyes.
The comebacks and fourth-quarter drives have become the norm, with five of their six recent wins coming down to the last play and Daniels has been at the forefront of it all.
His quarterback rating, completion percentage and number of times sacked all ranked all within the top six and his rushing yards ranked second among all quarterbacks.
Quinn complimented his young quarterback’s poise following the game, with Daniels turning in yet another clutch performance during his rookie season.
“Jayden is certainly a big factor in that,” Quinn says of the Commanders’ ability to close out games. “If he had his heart rate monitor on and mine, they would not be the same in the game. His stays pretty consistently good and sometimes I’m like the duck if you see the feet under the water. He really is into that space exceptional.”
The Commanders will obviously have their toughest test yet as they take on arguably the best team in the NFL in the Detroit Lions on the road in the divisional round of the playoffs.
While it remains to be seen if Daniels can continue to lead this team deeper into the playoffs, one thing is for certain — he’s not only the best rookie quarterback, he’s the next great quarterback in the NFL.
