Jayden

Daniels

Of course he was. Daniels had one of the best rookie campaigns ever; leading the Commanders for the NFC Title and impressing with his poise in the pocket and ability to make plays with his legs outside of it. He should be in the MVP conversation in the coming years based on everything he showed as a rookie in 2024. Daniels received 49-of-50 first-place votes, with Brock Bowers receiving the other. Bo Nix finished a distant third.

Daniels and company finally ran out of magic, but kept the proceedings reasonably close until an Eagles fourth quarter avalanche. Disappointing, but hardly something that is going to mar a special rookie campaign. A shoo-in for offensive rookie of the year honors, Daniels played at a near-MVP level as he turned the Commanders around from four victories to 12. Daniels didn’t just will the Commanders to victory, he kept them in every game. Aside from a 37-20 Week 1 loss in Tampa, Washington never lost by more than one score (until the NFC Championship Game, that is). Preternaturally poised, Daniels isn’t just calm, he’s decisive. He isn’t just decisive, he’s brilliant. Daniels almost never makes a poor decision with the ball in his hands. He’s an instant superstar who just needs to thread the dual-threat needle of staying healthy. An early 2025 MVP contender, Daniels will be one of the first 2-3 quarterbacks off the board in fantasy drafts.

No content with one postseason upset to begin his career, Daniels played another lights-out game, this time against the best team in the NFC. While there were many great throws from the rookie, the highlight of his night was a 42-yard dime right into the bucket for Dyami Brown. The deep shot that opened the second quarter and put Washington in the red zone eventually set up a Brian Robinson plunge into the end zone. The Commanders’ aggressiveness on fourth-down has been their great equalizing down the stretch and they didn’t disappoint this time around, attempting four fourth-down conversions. They found paydirt on three, with the lone miss being a hilariously bungled play that saw Marcus Mariota take the snap instead of Daniels. While Washington may not be the top team in the power ratings heading into next week, they might be the scariest. The Commanders will travel to face the winner of the Eagles/Rams game in the NFC Championship.

The Bucs did a good job of containing Daniels on the ground, but he made one of the biggest plays of the game when he avoided a Calijah Kancey sack and ran for a first down that allowed Washington to bleed out the clock and take the game-winning field goal. The rookie quarterback was poised and under control the entire game, never really making any major mistakes. He took what the Bucs gave him underneath and hit on big plays down the field when he had the opportunity. It was quite a playoff debut, and he could put up another impressive statline next week against a banged-up Lions defense.

Daniels was pulled from the Commanders’ Week 18 game against the Cowboys after suffering the quad injury. Washington had little to play for and head coach Dan Quinn said he wasn’t concerned after the game. Three full practices for Daniels this week confirm his optimism. Even as an underdog, the impending Offensive Rookie of the Year will be one of the best fantasy options for the opening round of the playoffs.

That’s two straight full practices for Daniels, who is all but a lock to start in the Commanders’ NFC Wild Card Game against the Buccaneers. Daniels was pulled from the second half of the Commanders’ Week 18 win over the Cowboys due to the quad injury, but that appears to be a minor issue. There’s no concern about Daniels’ availability at this time.

Daniels was reportedly hampered by leg soreness in-game last week and Wednesday’s injury report reveals it to be a quad-related issue. Fortunately, he is already practicing in full and should be his typically elite, dual-threat self against the Buccaneers this weekend.

Daniels struggled through the first half of the Commanders’ Week 18 contest against the Cowboys, completing 6-of-12 passes for 38 scoreless yards before being replaced by Marcus Mariota in the the second half. Daniels was rumored to be dealing with said leg soreness after the game, but could be seeing cutting up on the sideline and engaging his teammates during the comeback win. Things didn’t appear all that serious on Sunday, and Quinn’ lack of concern heading into the NFC Wild Card week is enough to suggest Daniels will be good to go on Sunday night against the Buccaneers.

Daniels did not have a great first half, missing a few throws early and totaling just 65 yards. Marcus Mariota came in for him in the second half and carried the Commanders to the victory, awarding the team the sixth seed for the playoffs. Though Daniels didn’t have a great half-game, he finishes the regular season with 3,568 passing yards, 891 rushing yards, and 31 total touchdowns. He set the rookie record for most quarterback rushing yards in a single season, along with the Commanders rookie record for most total yards. The rookie will start a playoff game for Wild Card Weekend, ranking as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the postseason.

The Commanders can improve their seeding in the NFC playoff race, as a win over the Cowboys would secure the No. 6 seed for them heading into the postseason. The Commanders already secured their spot in the playoffs with Sunday’s win over the Falcons, a higher seed could now ensure what they hope will be a more favorable matchup in the Wild Card round of the NFC playoffs.