One of the more common NFL cliches you’ll hear is something along the lines of “keeping your foot on their throat” in terms of one team having a lead over another team and not letting up.
The Washington Commanders blew a big opportunity to go up big on the New York Giants at the end of the first half in the regular season opener on Sunday, September 7.
With the ball at the Giants 4-yard line and leading 14-3 with 3 seconds remaining before halftime, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels threw the ball away by throwing it out of the end zone.
Daniels was not only called for intentional grounding but it triggered a 10-second runoff of the clock, ending the half and letting the beleaguered Giants escape to the locker room without allowing another score.
It was a pretty horrendous mistake for a second year starting quarterback to make, even if it’s just the first game.
There’s so much chaos and confusion at the end of a half or end of a game sometimes,” Fox Sports color commentator and 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady said. But that’s a big mistake by (Daniels) and the Commanders to end the half.
Daniels grabbed some headlines during the preseason when he kicked an offensive lineman out of the huddle after getting called for a penalty.
“Jayden Daniels goes down in the middle of the field on 2nd down with no timeouts,” NFL reporter Christian D’Andrea wrote on his X account. “Washington runs a play rather than spiking it and Daniels… gets called for intentional grounding, eliminating any chance of a field goal. oof.
Unclear If Daniels Understood Rules
One thing that wasn’t clear is if Daniels even understood that there was going to be a 10-second runoff — it appears as if he didn’t because he was likely throwing the ball away in order to allow the Commanders to kick a field goal to end the half.
“A critical mistake by Daniels,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote on X. “Cost them points. A rare lapse by Daniels.”
Rough sequence for the Commanders at the end of the half,” 106.7 FM The Fan’s Grant Paulsen wrote on his official X account. “Jayden Daniels made a mistake and threw the ball away on 3rd down. Took a intential grounding penalty. With clock run-off, WSH missed a shot to add a field goal.”
“CRAZY ENDING,” ML Football wrote on its oficial X account. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels gets flagged by the refs for an intentional grounding penalty and it runs out the clock in the 2nd quarter. You do not see this very often.”
Daniels Could Be NFL’s Highest Paid Player In 2027
Daniels’ career trajectory already has him on track to become the NFL’s highest paid player when he’s eligible for his first contract extension in the spring of 2027.
As the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Daniels received a fully guaranteed, 4-year, $37.7 million rookie contract — roughly half of what his annual salary might be when he signs his next deal.
The current highest paid quarterback in the NFL is Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott on a 4-year, $240 million contract he signed before the 2024 season that pays him $60 million per season. By the time Daniels is eligible to sign a new deal, that number should be upwards of $75 million per year.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Called Out For ‘Horrendous’ Mistake in Opener