Washington’s Jayden Daniels will play his first postseason game this weekend when the Commanders take on the Buccaneers.
While the first taste of January football is conceivably special for anybody, the 24-year-old quarterback said he’s keeping his same routine for Sunday night.
“It’s exciting, but I mean, you’ve got to kind of deal with those emotions,” Daniels said in his press conference this week. “But I know at the end of the day, still you’ve got to go out there and play ball. A lot of people [are] going to put a lot of emphasis on it because at this point it’s really win or go home. And from there, it’s like, OK, you’ve got to go out there.
“The focus level might be a little bit more, but you’ve got to stay who you are throughout the week, who you’ve been for these 17-18 weeks, and go out there and just play ball.”
Daniels, PFT’s 2024 offensive rookie of the year, has been terrific in his first 17 games. The No. 2 pick of the 2024 draft, Daniels completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 891 yards with six TDs.
His first game this season was against the Buccaneers, which he finished 17-of-24 for 184 yards. He also had 88 yards on the ground with two rushing touchdowns.
“I think just going back and watching the film, you could just see you learn a lot more as the season goes by,” Daniels said. “So, obviously, that was my first game and just trying to go out there and learn some more experiences. But I mean, at the end of the day, it’s still football, it’s still going to be a challenge to go up and compete against those guys once again.”
