There’s a solid point to be made that if you’re a first-year NFL quarterback and your team makes the playoffs, you’re no longer really a rookie. By the time your first postseason game arrives, the other team has a whole season of your game tape to study, and the pressure of the game is much higher, making the experience very different from the regular season.
For Washington Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels, this point might need to be reconsidered. As the second overall pick in the 2024 draft, Daniels rarely looked like a rookie during the regular season.
He completed 69.0% of his passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 100.1, ranking 10th among starting quarterbacks. On top of that, Daniels rushed 148 times for 891 yards (6.0 yards per carry) and six touchdowns, showing that he far exceeded what we would typically expect from a first-year quarterback.
In Washington’s 23-20 wildcard victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Daniels showed even more of his skills. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 110.2. He also ran 13 times for 36 yards and helped convert several crucial plays against a Buccaneers defense that tried to attack him both as a passer with blitzes and as a runner with stacked defensive fronts.
But despite these efforts, it didn’t work. As a passer, Daniels was able to handle Tampa Bay’s frequent blitzes because of his ability to read defenses before the play even starts, with everything he does coming from his deep understanding of the game.
A perfect example of this came on Daniels’ second passing attempt of the game, a 35-yard completion to Terry McLaurin. Tampa Bay’s defense had set up a complicated blitz, but Daniels recognized it, adjusted, and made a smooth downfield throw as if he were just playing a casual game.
Daniels was pressured on 15 of his 40 dropbacks, completing seven of 12 passes for 97 yards, both of his touchdown passes, and a passer rating of 123.1. As the game went on, Daniels was also asked to extend drives by running when the score was close. The most important moment came on a four-yard run on third-and-two from the Tampa Bay 19-yard line with 55 seconds left.
With the score tied at 20-20, getting the first down was essential because the Commanders needed to run the clock down before kicking the game-winning field goal. Tampa Bay defensive lineman Calijah Kancey managed to break through Washington’s offensive line and almost caused a negative play.
However, after a clever fake handoff to running back Brian Robinson, Daniels avoided Kancey’s tackle, and Kancey was left frustrated. Daniels’ ability to pick up the first down in that moment showed how defenders had felt all season when trying to stop him. After a kneeldown, the Commanders secured their first playoff win since 2005, also against the Buccaneers.
The Commanders converted eight of their 15 third-down attempts and three of their five fourth-down attempts, with Daniels playing a major role in those successes. “We were going to be bold but not reckless,” said Commanders head coach Dan Quinn after the game. “And I think that’s who we [have been] the whole season.
You just have to stay the course knowing that, ‘Hey, keep your chin tucked and keep swinging,’ knowing that this is going to be a game that’s going to go all the way down to the end.” You don’t take those kinds of risks unless you’re fully confident in your quarterback’s ability to read the defense. Now, Daniels has even had a Hall of Fame quarterback compare him, in some ways, to Patrick Mahomes.
Daniels will have another chance to prove himself when the Commanders face the Detroit Lions, the top team in the NFC. Washington’s defense isn’t strong, which is bad news against Detroit’s excellent offense, but from a tendency perspective, the Lions aren’t well-prepared to handle Daniels. The Lions have played man coverage the most in the NFL this season, covering 44.9% of their defensive snaps.
Daniels has excelled against man coverage, completing 75 of 134 passes for 987 yards, nine touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 98.7. The Lions also blitz a lot, bringing five or more pass-rushers on 36% of their snaps, the fifth-highest rate in the league.
Daniels has been great against the blitz, completing 39 of 67 passes for 565 yards, five touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 110.6. Daniels’ running ability also works in his favor, especially against the Lions’ defense, which has struggled with injuries. Detroit’s defense has allowed 449 rushing yards, 167 yards after contact, and six touchdowns on 68 quarterback runs this season.
Their yards per carry allowed is the second-worst in the NFL at 6.6 yards, and their first down percentage allowed is also one of the worst. In simple terms, it’s hard to stop Daniels on a regular basis, and the Lions will have to change their approach to limit his impact.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell is fully aware of Daniels’ abilities. “He is dangerous,” Campbell said of Daniels. “He’s dangerous; he poses a major threat. He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback.
He’s composed, he understands how to progress, he sees the field well, he can buy time with his legs, he’s a dangerous runner, he’s smart, you can tell he understands how to run that offense and what they’re asking him to do, and then he’s got weapons.
I mean, they’ve got weapons, [The] O-line plays hard. But he’s a difference-maker.” On Saturday, we’ll see just how much of a difference Daniels can make once again. It will not be an ordinary game plan for a rookie quarterback because Daniels has already moved past that stage.
