What a difference a year can make in the NFL.
The Washington Commanders went 4-13 last year in the 2023 season. This season? 11-5, trailing only the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and securing a playoff spot after defeating the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 in OT on Sunday.
Although the Commanders’ marked improvement can be attributed to plenty of different factors, such as ownership and coaching staff changes, one player who deserves plenty of recognition for the team’s turnaround is rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was selected as the #2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft from LSU.
Daniels, who has proven he’s more than ready for the NFL this year put up another solid performance on Sunday, throwing for 227 yards and 3 passing TDs, as well as rushing for 127 yards.
Daniels’ game winning, 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz in the final play of the game was the second time in a row where Daniels threw a TD pass in the final 30 seconds of the game (he did the same to carry the Commanders to a 36-33 win over the Eagles in their Dec. 22 contest). The accomplishment is made even more impressive by the fact that Daniels has thrown a winning TD pass five times now in the final 30 seconds of a game, something which no other quarterback has done in NFL history. He also has 12 TD passes in the fourth quarter and overtime, the most for a rookie in NFL history.
Ertz, a 12-year veteran in the NFL, called Daniels “the most mature rookie I’ve been around” following the game and thinks that Commanders are in for years of success with the young quarterback commanding the team’s offense.
“It comes down to having a really good quarterback in this league if you want to be a good team,” Ertz told reporters. “And from the moment I got here, seeing Jayden out there, I continually said this guy isn’t someone that’s going to be good, he’s good now. And when you have that position situated in this league, you’re gonna have a chance. This organization is in a great spot for years to come and I can’t say enough good things about him.”
JAYDEN DANIELS FINDS ZACH ERTZ FOR HIS 2ND TD AND THE PLAYOFF BERTH! 🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/rap2cZmSOD
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) December 30, 2024
Ertz added, “He’s the most mature rookie I’ve ever been around. He exudes a quiet confidence. He’s not a rah-rah guy. We all know how good he is and how much confidence we have in him. He doesn’t need to say anything.”
In the 2024 season, Daniels has thrown for 3,530 yards with 25 TDS and 9 INTs. He’s also rushed for nearly 1,000 yards as well, with a record-setting 864 rushing yards (passing former Commanders QB, Robert Griffin III for the most rushing yards by a rookie QB in NFL history) and 6 rushing TDs.
What do you think of the comments made by Zach Ertz on Commanders QB Jayden Daniels? Have you been impressed by Daniels’ play thus far in the NFL as a rookie? Let us know in the comments.
