For the rest of his NFL career, Jayden Daniels may never produce another play more memorable than the Hail Mary touchdown he threw in October to win only his eighth career game.
But that stunning, game-winning score to beat the Chicago Bears wasn’t the last clutch performance of Daniels’ rookie season. Because of his knack for late-game heroics, the Washington Commanders are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
One week after leading a 10-point, second-half comeback to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, Daniels led the Commanders on Sunday to yet another victory, this time against the Atlanta Falcons.
The victory came after the Falcons — led by their own rookie quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. — were ahead by 10 in the second quarter, and missed on a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.
Daniels threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz in overtime to win 30-24 and clinch the wild card playoff berth.
Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner as college football’s most outstanding player, was the second overall pick in last spring’s NFL draft. He arrived in Washington under significant expectations as the face of a franchise undergoing a reset, with a new owner hiring a new head coach.
He has not only proven to be good at pumping up his statistics — on Sunday, he set a new record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback, breaking Robert Griffin III’s old mark of 815 — but being good when it matters most with a consistency that is rare, according to NFL research.
Chants of “MVP” were heard in Washington’s stadium during overtime Sunday — and that was before Daniels found Ertz for the game-winning, playoff-clinching score.
Washington is now 11-5 with one game remaining but its playoff berth guaranteed, making it unclear whether Daniels will play in the regular-season finale or rest.
He is currently Washington’s season leader in both passing and rushing yards. Should he finish as the leader in both categories, it would be the first time since 1935 — when the team played in Boston in only its fourth year of existence — that the franchise’s quarterback has also been its top rusher.
