Jayden Daniels is still in the early stages of his NFL career, having played just 10 games, but the Washington quarterback is already familiar with what it means to face a big game. He knows when it’s time for a key matchup.
“I think people just know it’s Philly week,” Daniels said.
This week, the Commanders will face the Eagles in one of the most important games of their rivalry, especially with playoff implications on the line. It’s been almost 30 years since the stakes have been this high for both teams in this series.
Daniels has the Commanders (7-3) poised for their most significant regular-season game in decades, as they go up against the NFC East-leading Eagles (7-2).
This is no exaggeration. Washington and Philadelphia will meet with the division title in play, and for the first time since 1996, both teams will be more than four games over .500 as they head into this matchup.
Names like Terry Allen, Ricky Watters, Koy Detmer, Gus Frerotte, Norv Turner, and Ray Rhodes may not be remembered much today, but this week, as the anticipation builds for this prime-time game at Lincoln Financial Field, all of that history is being brought back to life.
The only downside to the game is the short week — the Eagles won at Dallas, and the Commanders lost to the Steelers on Sunday, which means less time to hype up the rivalry.
Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts and running back Saquon Barkley, who ranks second in the NFL with an average of 110.1 rushing yards per game, the Eagles are on a five-game winning streak.
The Commanders have won three of their last four. However, Washington’s defense has struggled against the run, ranking 28th in the league, allowing 142.7 yards per game. The Eagles are favored by 3 1/2 points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
Daniels is excited for the challenge. “I’m excited just to go to Philly and that type of atmosphere,” he said. “Heard they got very passionate fans, so man, I can’t wait.
I can’t wait to go out there and see that fan base, and just experience that. And I know it’s going to be a great venue, a great site, and we’ll just go out there and see what happens.”
Under Daniels’ leadership, the Washington offense continues to put up solid numbers, even against tough defenses like Pittsburgh, which had been allowing just 14.9 points per game before Sunday.
Daniels is developing a strong connection with wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who went over 100 yards receiving for the fourth time in the last eight games, finishing with 113 yards on five catches.
The Eagles, who have won three of their last four games by 20 points or more, are well aware of the threat Daniels poses.
“A really good player who started off on fire, so we’ll have a challenge here this week,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said. “You know how he’s going to the right place with the football, being accurate, the things he can do when things do break down.”
If the Commanders win, they’ll move to 8-3, their best start through 11 games since 1996.
“Taking our show on the road to go up and have another division battle, Thursday night in November, like come on, what are we talking about?” said Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.
