Three reasons why Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels can make NFL history in NFC championship game

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Jayden Daniels has needed lone his archetypal 2 vocation playoff games to erase 33 years of vexation for the Washington Commanders. Daniels' spectacular play successful Saturday night's stunning 45-31 divisional-round upset win implicit the top-seeded Lions helped enactment his franchise successful the NFC title crippled for the archetypal clip successful 33 years, erstwhile it bushed Detroit connected the mode to winning Super Bowl 36.

Daniels (22-of-39, 299 yards, 2 TDs, 9.6 yards per attempt, 122.9) dominated done the aerial for a 2nd consecutive week aft picking isolated the Buccaneers successful the wild-card round. He besides supplemented his show with 51 rushing yards connected 16 attempts portion not being sacked oregon turning the shot over.

The two-game agelong is already awesome due to the fact that Daniels was won successful back-to-back roadworthy games. Now see Daniels is the archetypal rookie QB to person consecutive 300-plus full yardage games successful the playoffs aft ripping Tampa Bay successful a akin fashion. 

The Commanders present wouldn't daze anyone if they besides triumph the NFC rubric and get to Super Bowl 59. Daniels becomes the sixth rookie backmost to play for a league crown. The 5 earlier him — Shaun King, Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, and astir recently, Brock Purdy — fell conscionable abbreviated of becoming the archetypal rookie QB to commencement successful the Super Bowl.

Here are 3 reasons to judge Daniels isn't done with his archetypal Washington tally and volition go an adjacent greater portion of NFL rookie history.

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Jayden Daniels conscionable doesn't consciousness similar a rookie QB successful the playoffs

Watching Daniels play for the archetypal time, 1 would deliberation he's a seasoned person who's played done aggregate NFL postseasons. He's Jayden Cool, making astute decisions portion ever being successful implicit bid (no pun intended) of the game. He's proved to beryllium a clutch situational player. Washington was 3-for-4 connected 4th downs and 4-for-4 successful the reddish portion against Detroit.

The passing execution is accordant and effective. As helium spreads the shot astir short-to-deep, outside-to-inside, Daniels besides picks bully spots successful which to instrumentality disconnected running, doing much to support the chains moving than conscionable looking for a flashy splash play. 

Daniels made struggling Lions QB Jared Goff look a batch much similar an inexperienced passer successful narration to him. Whatever acquisition borderline either the Eagles or Rams might deliberation they'll person vs. Daniels has been rendered irrelevant.

Jayden Daniels isn't similar the rookie playoff QBs who came earlier him

King, Roethlisberger, Flacco, Sanchez, and Purdy were not dynamic dual-threats similar Daniels erstwhile they took their swings successful the league title round. They were starring teams that leaned much connected their defence and moving games.

Daniels tin airs the Rams problems successful a non-hostile, controlled roadworthy environment. He has played the Eagles doubly and proven helium tin bushed them. The different QBs were enactment successful pugnacious situations against amended teams, and Purdy was knocked retired aboriginal from his accidental — the champion of them each with the loaded 49ers successful 2023 — against the Eagles 2 years ago.

The NFC playoff tract felt wide unfastened going into the tourney up of Super Bowl 59, and unpredictability is proving to beryllium the case. The Commanders person shed their underdog statement successful however they took down the large dogs successful Detroit.

When looking back, those different rookie QBs were often successful the relation of game-managing caretakers. Washington has enactment Daniels successful the presumption of playmaker, and his carrying of the squad has a batch to bash with trusting Kliff Kingsbury's tailored violative strategy and the Commanders' cardinal supporting personnel.

Jayden Daniels is getting a batch of assistance astatine the close times

Daniels has turned Terry McLaurin into the alpha No. 1 receiver who was often near untapped with erstwhile QBs. He has besides discovered his big-play No. 2 wideout, Dyami Brown. Veterans Austin Ekeler and Zach Ertz person played their parts, with their Pro Bowl past connected different teams turning them into indispensable short-to-intermediate targets for Daniels successful the present. The Commanders' revamped violative enactment besides has kept him clean.

Daniels hasn't been a big-time runner successful presumption of businesslike accumulation during the playoffs, but erstwhile Ekeler, Brian Robinson Jr., and Jeremy McNichols harvester for 132 yards and 3 rushing TDs vs. Detroit, it takes unit disconnected Daniels' request to pad that number.

When Daniels is keeping his crippled truthful mistake-free, adjacent 1 oregon 2 turnovers successful the Commanders' favour marque a immense quality successful flipping the last score. Five takeaways and immoderate accordant unit connected Goff stamped the upset implicit the Lions. The Commanders stopped a bully red-zone squad fractional the clip and added a pick-six.

The halfway astir Daniels, from Kingsbury connected down, has the perfect constitution to elevate him, overmuch similar it did astatine times successful the regular season. The veterans connected discourtesy person been anxious to present for their rookie QB, and it's earthy for the Commanders' defenders to provender disconnected Daniels' energy.

The buzz for Daniels is good deserved, but the Commanders are showing they are a implicit team, which they've had to beryllium to spell 14-5, conscionable 1 much triumph distant from Super Bowl. 

Counting the Commanders retired due to the fact that of Daniels oregon their No. 6 effect wasn't omniscient twice, and neither volition it beryllium a 3rd time. When Daniels doing things nary rookie QB has ever done, the anticipation should beryllium that 1 much is coming.

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