The Washington Commanders Cinderella season ended one game short of the Super Bowl, but Jayden Daniels isn’t about to pat himself on the back for exceeding expectations. Instead, the rookie quarterback offered a blunt reaction to his team losing 55-23 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Asked to sum things up after the game ended at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, January 26, Daniels simply told reporters, “This sucks. This [expletive] sucks. Excuse my language but I couldn’t be prouder of my guys,” per JP Finlay of NBC4 Sports.
Daniels’ emotions were raw after the Commanders committed four turnovers and nine penalties against their NFC East rivals. Those self-inflicted wounds wrecked the mistake-free football that had helped the second-overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft lead his team to a pair of playoff victories on the road.
The Eagles snapped that streak in emphatic fashion, exposing some of the flaws hidden by Daniel’s awesome debut campaign. Weaknesses like a soft run defense and an offensive line not powerful enough to stand up to the strongest defensive fronts in the league.
Those things left Daniels with too much to do and for once this season he ran out of time and magic when the Commanders needed them most.
Jayden Daniels Doesn’t Want Repeat of Painful Exit
A visibly upset Daniels admitted, “I’m obviously taking this loss pretty hard,” per Ben Standig of The Athletic. The 24-year-old wasn’t able to hide his disappointment after struggling to get on track against a tough and smart Eagles defense.
He threw a touchdown and ran for another, but Daniels also tossed an interception and averaged a mere 5.3 yards on 29 completions from 48 attempts. Daniels was slowed by an Eagles defensive scheme that relied on zone and four-man pressure.
The tactical blueprint forced Daniels to sustain long drives. He might have answered the challenge, had it not been for the turnovers that included fumbles by wide receiver Dyami Brown and running back Austin Ekeler, as well as this end-zone theft by Philly rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell.
Those mistakes will haunt Daniels and the Commanders for a while, but the gifted signal-caller is clear about one thing. Namely, how he doesn’t “want to have a feeling like this again,” per NBC4 Sports.
That won’t happen if the Commanders fix the problems the Eagles exploited.
Commanders Must Fix Weaknesses Exposed by Eagles
Fixing the problems will mean general manager Adam Peters adding more brute force to both sides of the trenches. To an offensive line that allowed Daniels to take three sacks for the second time in three games against the Eagles this season.
Being without top lineman, right guard Sam Cosmi, wasn’t the only reason Daniels was under pressure. There are still question marks about both tackle spots.
Questions also remain about a run defense gashed again by the Eagles and Saquon Barkley. The star running back scored three of the Eagles’ seven rushing touchdowns to complete a 414-yard effort against the Commanders this season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Although the Commanders missed injured nose tackle Daron Payne, this problem also runs deeper than one player. Washington’s D-line needs an infusion of bluechip talent on the edges.
Fortunately, Peters has the resources to get the Commanders what they need this offseason. Cap space projected by Spotrac.com to be worth $90,950,976 is enough to fortify both sides of the trenches and allow Peters to use the draft to find some wide receiver and running back help for Daniels.
There’s no ceiling on how far he can elevate the Commanders with more talent around him. Going one game better will remain Daniels’ immediate target.
Comments
Jayden Daniels Has Brutal Reaction to Commanders Loss vs. Eagles in NFCCG