LANDOVER, Md. – Dan Quinn refers to the NFL’s elite teams and players as “heavy hitters.” On Sunday, his rookie quarterback joined that category with a final-minute, come-from-behind, improbable victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
But it was already apparent Jayden Daniels was capable of such a feat. The consistency to do it as a 24-year-old playing his first season of professional football is the remarkable part.
And the achievement earned his head coach’s highest honor.
“Today,” Quinn said after the game, “he became a heavy hitter. He really did.”
With six seconds remaining, Jayden Daniels found Jamison Crowder for a 9-yard touchdown pass to give the Commanders a lead. A successful two-point conversion and a kickoff that never posed a threat later, and Washington walked away winners, 36-33.
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“I love those types of situations,” Daniels said. “Those are when it’s on thin ice and plays need to be made. That’s what you live for if you really love this sport and live for those big time moments where it comes down to the end, back against the wall, how will you respond?
“I always believe that we could win the game no matter what. Games never over until the clock hits zero.”
Daniels passed Robert Griffin III’s franchise mark for total yards (rushing and passing) by a rookie quarterback – he now has 4,040 – and, according to the Commanders, became the first rookie quarterback in Washington franchise history to throw five touchdown passes in a game. He’s the sixth rookie in NFL history to accomplish the feat. Daniels finished 24-for-39 with 258 passing yards and also threw two interceptions.
With Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sidelined for the remainder of the game after suffering a first-quarter concussion, the Commanders found themselves in a 27-14 hole with 3:11 to go in the third quarter. But the Eagles’ win-streak did not reach 11 games, and they’ll have to wait at least another week to clinch the NFC East.
“When there’s a little adversity, that’s when you get to see the true character of a group of people,” said wide receiver Terry McLaurin (five catches, 60 yards), who hauled in a 32-yard pass from Daniels near the left pylon for a touchdown in the second quarter. “That was a gritty win by us. And, hats off to them. That was a playoff atmosphere, honestly.”
Perhaps that was some foreshadowing on McLaurin’s part. In three weeks’ time, there’s a chance these teams will face each other in the playoffs.
The Commanders started the game with a turnover on downs, a fumble and a punt on their first three drives of the game. An interception by linebacker Frankie Luvu on backup quarterback Kenny Pickett set the Commanders up in the red zone, and Daniels found Crowder for a 6-yard touchdown to put Washington on the board.
“Just a regular Sunday afternoon again,” Quinn said jokingly. “Just what a wild game.”
The Eagles led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter; Saquon Barkley burst for a 68-yard touchdown on a perfectly blocked play and had 109 rushing yards on seven rushes and two scores in the first 13 minutes of the game. During their week of preparation, Quinn said he and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. preached containing Barkley in the second half; during the teams’ Nov. 14 matchup, Barkley had two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
“Maybe I made too big a deal about the second half,” Quinn said with a laugh, “missed it on the starting fast.”
Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled twice and spent most of the second half on the sidelines. Dyami Brown also fumbled, and Daniels threw a pair of interceptions over the middle on overthrown balls intended for rookie wideout Luke McCaffrey – the second of which came with the Eagles leading 30-28 and 2:53 remaining in the game.
Eagles wideout DeVonta Smith dropped a third-down pass in the red zone with 2:02 remaining to prevent his team from running out the clock and walking away with a 30-28 victory. Instead, Nick Sirianni sent his field-goal unit out to extend the lead to 33-28 – leaving the door open for another late comeback at home for the Commanders.
“I got a second chance to make things right,” Daniels said.
Washington defeated the Chicago Bears in October on an improbable Hail Mary and wound up on the wrong side of late-game variance against the Dallas Cowboys, with 41 points in the final 5:16 of a 34-26 defeat. Last week, the defense stopped the New Orleans Saints on a two-point conversion that decided the game with no time remaining.
But with much not going right for the Commanders early Sunday, Quinn said Daniels’ ability to salvage the outcomes of a game in the final minutes is what makes him – and the entire team – special.
“To know that at the end you’re ready to go make a play to go give yourself a shot to win it, that’s a big deal,” Quinn said. “I thought there’s a lot to be gained from today. It was ugly in some ways, but it was also excellent in some ways, of resilience and these guys not backing down.”
Daniels was clutch before the end of the game, too. At the end of the third quarter, Washington faced a fourth-and-11. The 2023 Heisman Trophy dropped back, saw a lane – closing by the millisecond – in the middle of the field and picked up 29 yards.
“We don’t look at him as a rookie. He carries himself like a vet,” right guard Sam Cosmi said. “So when it comes to that type of stuff, we don’t really have any doubt in his ability to get the offense getting where we need to get to.”
Daniels’ play elevates the performance of the entire team, especially in crunch time.
“You feel it,” he said. “We all do in these winning-time moments, that he is really capable in those spots.”
