All the young NFL quarterbacks have their signature moments at some point, a play or a drive that shows off their talent and screams to the rest of the league that they are destined for special things.
Jayden Daniels had his moment Sunday.
The rookie quarterback for the Washington Commanders beat the Chicago Bears earlier this season on a Hail Mary, but that’s essentially an accident, not a moment. Any quarterback with a big arm is capable of that.
What we saw him do Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles is different. It’s career defining. It’s essentially sending out a loud message to the rest of the NFL that they will have to deal with him for at least the next decade.
The Commanders beat the Eagles, 36-33, thanks to a 9-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left. He started that drive at his own 43-yard line with 1:52 left and promptly led the Commanders to the victory.
Daniels threw five touchdown passes, and he did it against an Eagles defense that had been dominant over the course of their 10-game winning streak heading into Sunday. In addition to the five touchdown passes, he also led the Commanders with 81 yards rushing.
Daniels is the first rookie quarterback to throw for five or more touchdowns and rush for 65 or more yards in a single game in NFL history.
The clutch gene, which all great quarterbacks have, is what makes him special. He never seems to get rattled. On a fourth-and-11 in the third quarter, he ran for 29 yards and a big first down. Before Sunday’s game, I said on our pre-game show that the Eagles game would be a proving game for Daniels and the Commanders.
It was for both in a big way, The Commanders, who are up to eighth in my Power Rankings this week, are 10-5 with two games to play. It’s unlikely they will catch the Eagles to win the NFC East, but they served notice that they will be a tough out come playoff time — no matter who they play.
Daniels made sure that happened Sunday, and in the process locked up the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. It’s special moments that decide those type of awards, and Daniels had his to beat the Eagles, a signature moment for sure.
Biggest Movers
|
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
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They just keep on winning. The offense is starting to click, which is not a good thing for the rest of the league — starting this week against the Steelers. | — | 14-1-0 |
2 |
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They had a letdown against the Patriots, and it almost cost them. But good teams find ways to win games like that, which they did. | 1 | 12-3-0 |
3 |
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The offense showed it can move the football in any type of weather in the blowout of the Bears. The undermanned defense gave up yards, but made stops when needed. | 1 | 13-2-0 |
4 |
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If they win out, they have the top seed in the NFC. But the schedule is tough with games against Green Bay and Detroit to close it out. | 1 | 13-2-0 |
5 |
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They can now play a physical brand of football, which will matter come playoff time. They need to show that off this week against the Vikings in a tough game. | 1 | 11-4-0 |
6 |
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Losing Jalen Hurts to a concussion against Washington hurt, but the defense let them down as well. They have to get back on track after Jayden Daniels carved them up. | 4 | 12-3-0 |
7 |
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By beating the Steelers, they are back in the division race. The defense is making strides at the right time. | 1 | 10-5-0 |
8 |
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They can lock up a playoff spot by beating the Falcons this week. Jayden Daniels is on his way to being the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. | 2 | 10-5-0 |
9 |
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Two consecutive losses have set this team’s hopes back some in terms of trying to win the division. And here come the Chiefs on Christmas Day. They can’t afford another loss. | 2 | 10-5-0 |
10 |
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They just keep on winning and appear to be on their way to the division title. It wasn’t pretty against the Jets, but they found a way. | 1 | 9-6-0 |
11 |
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Losing to the Cowboys takes them out of the top spot in the division. Now they need the Falcons to lose one, and they have to win out to make the playoffs. | 1 | 8-7-0 |
12 |
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The Chargers bounced back from the blowout loss to the Bucs with a nice division victory over the Broncos. One more victory and they are in the playoffs. | 1 | 9-6-0 |
13 |
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They haven’t locked up a playoff berth yet, but they are close. The loss against the Chargers wasn’t a good look after taking a lead early. | 4 | 9-6-0 |
14 |
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The loss of receiver Tank Dell to a knee injury will be damning for them. When he went out against the Chiefs, the offense became lifeless. Now they face a tough Ravens team. | — | 9-6-0 |
15 |
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They aren’t done yet, but they are barely hanging on. They essentially play a playoff game this week with Denver. | 3 | 7-8-0 |
16 |
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Jonathan Taylor bounced back from his terrible fumble in the loss to Denver to rush for over 200 yards against the Titans. They are still alive, but need help. | 1 | 7-8-0 |
17 |
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Losing two straight games has their playoff chances slimming by the week. They need to win their last two and still might not get in. | 2 | 8-7-0 |
18 |
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Michael Penix Jr. didn’t do a ton in his first start, but he didn’t need to against the Giants. But he will have to do a lot more against the Commanders this week on the road. | 3 | 8-7-0 |
19 |
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Two consecutive victories might be saving Mike McCarthy’s job — and probably should. They are still playing hard, even though they are done. | 3 | 7-8-0 |
20 |
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Bryce Young is playing good football. That has to give them hope for the future. | 6 | 4-11-0 |
21 |
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They were eliminated from playoff consideration after losing to Carolina. They were a nice little story for a while, but the undermanned roster caught up with them. | 5 | 7-8-0 |
22 |
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They are still alive after beating the 49ers, but barely. They ran the ball in that game as well as they have all season, which keyed the victory. | 3 | 7-8-0 |
23 |
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The season full of misery is done. The injuries did this team in early this season and they never recovered. What a disappointment. | 3 | 6-9-0 |
24 |
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The defense didn’t even show up in the loss to the Lions. They looked disinterested, sort of like they were already in vacation mode. | 1 | 4-11-0 |
25 |
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They have to figure out the quarterback position next season — and it can’t be Deshaun Watson. They have issues going forward there. | 1 | 3-12-0 |
26 |
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The injuries have crippled this team. It’s a shame how bad they are right now. The question is who will be the coach next year. | 1 | 5-10-0 |
27 |
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So much for the push by the offense the past two weeks. Aaron Rodgers was bad against the Rams, and the coaching decisions were even worse. | — | 4-11-0 |
28 |
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They lost by winning. They now wouldn’t draft in the top-2 spots, which means they would lose out on the top-2 quarterback prospects. Beating Jacksonville was not a good thing. | 4 | 3-12-0 |
29 |
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They competed against the Bills, which is progress. It also sounds like head coach Jerod Mayo will get a chance to be back for his second season. | 1 | 3-12-0 |
30 |
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The silver lining of their awful season is rookie receiver Brian Thomas Jr. He is a future star at the position, but he’s one of the few on the roster. | 2 | 3-12-0 |
31 |
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They showed some fight in coming back against the Colts, but they fell in too big of a hole. They need to find a quarterback. | 2 | 3-12-0 |
32 |
|
They are awful and heading for the top pick in the draft. That’s the good news for their failures, but they are tough to watch now. | 1 | 2-13-0 |