Jayden Daniels’ second game in the Superdome ended in a thrilling finish, just like his first. This time, however, he and Washington were on the winning side, even though they almost let a three-score lead slip away in the second half.
Daniels threw two touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin in the first half, and Washington held off a strong comeback attempt by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler and the New Orleans Saints. The Commanders won 20-19 on Sunday when New Orleans failed to convert a 2-point try in the final seconds.
“It feels good to win by one point,” Daniels said. “Life comes full circle.” Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy last year at LSU, completed 25 of 31 passes for 226 yards in his return to Louisiana. He also ran for 66 yards, including a key third-and-14 scramble to set up a field goal by Greg Joseph that put Washington ahead 17-0 in the third quarter.
Rattler, who replaced starting quarterback Jake Haener, nearly led the Saints to victory. After Joseph missed a 54-yard field goal with 1:55 left, Rattler led a 56-yard drive and threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau as time ran out. However, Rattler’s attempt at a 2-point conversion was unsuccessful, and the Saints fell short.
Interim coach Darren Rizzi decided to go for the win, but Rattler’s pass to tight end Juwan Johnson was incomplete. The Saints are now 0-4 without quarterback Derek Carr, who was injured the previous week.
“Just a mixture of emotions because we walk off the field with a loss, but I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of the team,” Rizzi said, adding that he didn’t regret going for the 2-point conversion.
Washington helped keep the game close with nine penalties for 84 yards and missed chances. Coach Dan Quinn expressed frustration with his team’s mistakes, saying, “When you get those, you really put yourself in a bad spot.”
McLaurin had seven catches for 73 yards, but Daniels missed some key throws, including one to McLaurin deep down the middle in the fourth quarter. McLaurin also couldn’t catch a long pass along the sideline later in the game.
Rattler passed for 135 yards and a touchdown after replacing Haener, who completed just four of 10 passes for 49 yards and an interception. Rattler led the Saints’ scoring drives, including a touchdown pass to Alvin Kamara. Field goals by Blake Grupe cut Washington’s lead to 20-13.
Daniels took eight sacks during the game, with some coming when he ran out of bounds to avoid losing yards.
Washington took an early lead with a broken play that looked like something out of a pickup game. Daniels dodged tackles from Khalen Saunders and Bryan Bresee, then threw the ball over Pete Werner to McLaurin, who caught it while crossing the end zone despite a tough collision with three players.
“It was a hell of a play,” Saunders said. “Daniels is one of them backyard football-type cats — and I say that with the utmost respect.”