There aren’t many superlatives left to describe Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and what he’s done to bring the franchise back to life.
The greatest quarterback in NFL history probably did it best as the Commanders pulled off a shocking, 45-31 upset of the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round.
“Unreal,” 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady said during the FOX Sports broadcast after Daniels completed a pass to convert on a 4th-and-2 in the fourth quarter. “Daniels is just unreal … It’s what it’s all about in these big moments.”
Daniels’ pass to Terry McLaurin on fourth down set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Jeremy McNichols a few plays later for a 45-28 lead with 7:31 left in the game.
Against the Lions, Daniels was masterful and finished 22-of-31 passing for 299 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions to go with 15 carries for 52 rushing yards. The Commanders defense also forced 5 turnovers, including a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown by Quan Martin in the second quarter.
The Commanders, the No. 6 seed, will travel play the winner of the other NFC Divisional Round game between the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Rams and the No. 2 seed Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFC Championship Game will be January 26 at 3 p.m. ET on Fox.
Daniels Led All NFL QBs in Pro Bowl Voting
The Commanders selected Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft after he won the Heisman Tropy at LSU in 2023. He was one of 6 quarterbacks selected in the first round, tying the record set in the 1983 NFL draft.
Daniels, who seems like a lock to be named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, led all NFL quarterbacks in Pro Bowl voting and was third in the NFL in voting behind Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Daniels was also named Pro Football Talk’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
“(Daniels) also led the Commanders to a playoff berth in a year that was supposed to be a rebuilding season, adding 891 rushing yards (a record for rookie quarterbacks) and six touchdowns,” PFT’s Mike Florio wrote. “As we close in on inaugurating a new president, Daniels already has been crowned the king of D.C. And there’s no reason to think he won’t keep getting better and better.”
NFC Championship Game For First Time Since ’91
In a weird twist, the last time the Commanders were in the NFC Championship Game was in 1991, when they defeated the Lions, 41-10, and went on to defeat the Buffalo Bills, 37-24, in Super Bowl XXVI.
It was the third Super Bowl that Washington won in a 10-year stretch with titles following the 1983 and 1987 seasons as well. Joe Gibbs, the head coach for all 3 of those Super Bowl-winning teams, was in attendance at the Commanders’ win over the Lions on Saturday.
The Commanders went 12-5 in the 2024 regular season — their best regular season since 1991 — and had already won their first playoff game since 2005 with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Round on January 12.
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Tom Brady Gives 1-Word Reaction On Commanders QB Jayden Daniels