Jayden Daniels dragged the Washington Commanders into the postseason. When the team needed its franchise player to come through, he rose to the occasion and delivered with supreme poise and confidence beyond his years.
Daniels is not your average rookie. He's a legitimate franchise-caliber presence under center that can take the Commanders back into contention. Things have gone much better than anticipated in Year 1 for the new regime. Once general manager Adam Peters surrounds him with more prolific weapons, the sky's the limit.
The job is not finished for Washington by any stretch of the imagination. One more effort is needed at the Dallas Cowboys to secure the sixth seed. Daniels is also looking to right a wrong following an indifferent performance versus their NFC East rivals earlier in the campaign — albeit with a rib injury attached at the time.
Dan Quinn wants the Commanders to finish strongly and ensure complacency doesn't become an issue. He shouldn't have anything to worry about in that regard, especially where the newly crowned Pro Bowler is concerned.
As it turned out, Daniels was not at his brilliant best and got a shorter workload than usual as the Commanders prioritized health over winning with the playoffs upcoming.
With this in mind, here are five major observations from Daniels' performance at AT&T Stadium to conclude Washington's regular-season commitments.
Major observations from Jayden Daniels' performance at the Cowboys
Jayden Daniels' pocket comfort
The Washington Commanders were depleted on the offensive line with starting center Tyler Biadasz and veteran tackle Cornelius Lucas both missing from the lineup. This impacted Jayden Daniels' pocket comfort considerably.
Daniels was under duress from the opening snap. Micah Parsons gained two sacks on the opening drive and Washington conceded four in total over the opening two quarters. The dual-threat signal-caller never looked comfortable and there was a distinct lack of trust in his protection for arguably the first time this season.
This caused a ripple effect. Daniels was a little more hesitant than usual, focusing his attention on evading pressure rather than keeping his eyes downfield. It's a trend that cannot continue if Washington wants to make some noise in the playoffs.
Jayden Daniels' uncharacteristic first half
It was an uncharacteristic showing from Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in the first half. They were disjointed, couldn't generate any momentum whatsoever, and struggled to find the rhythm fans have become accustomed to seeing from Kliff Kingsbury's offense throughout the campaign.
Everything was a little flat. Perhaps it was a long, grueling season taking its toll. Maybe it was the Dallas Cowboys' game plan making things difficult once again. Either way, this isn't what the Commanders or Daniels had in mind after a stellar series of strong performances in recent weeks.
Unsurprisingly, this was reflected in Daniels' first-half stats. The Commanders were fortunate to only be down three at the interval. If the Cowboys had managed better execution in the red zone, things could have been a lot worse.
- 50 percent completion
- 38 passing yards
- 0 touchdowns
- 0 interceptions
- 4 sacks against
- 27 rushing yards
- 56.9 passer rating (ESPN)
It was a complete mess from start to finish. Receivers were dropping balls, Daniels couldn't fit the football into tight windows, and the run game was non-existent. That's a bad combination with the postseason next on their list of objectives.
Jayden Daniels' timing
Jayden Daniels' timing was way off. He's normally supremely accurate and has no trouble getting the football out quickly and into the hands of his primary playmakers in the passing game. That wasn't the case in this one.
Perhaps the most glaring example came with his connection with Terry McLaurin. Daniels and the wide receiver quickly emerged into one of the league's most dynamic tandems this season as the pair reached the Pro Bowl. This was not their best afternoon at the office.
There was a need to play Daniels for good or bad. Dan Quinn wanted to lock up the sixth seed and potentially get an easier route in the postseason. When things didn't go according to plan, his plans changed dramatically.
Daniels wasn't helped by some concentration issues from his wide receivers and an offensive line that couldn't provide adequate protection. But he'll be the first to admit that the distribution could have been much better before the Commanders took him out of the firing line.
This brings us nicely to our next point...
Coommanders err on the side of caution with Jayden Daniels
When Jayden Daniels went into the medical tent in the first half with an upper left leg issue, he was living on borrowed time regarding his involvement in Week 18. The Washington Commanders have bigger fish to fry, so risking him any further was simply not an option.
The Commanders took Daniels out of the lineup to start the second half. Dan Quinn and his coaching staff erred on the side of caution with their most prized possession. Make no mistake, this was the correct call in the circumstances.
Had the Commanders needed to win in pursuit of the playoffs, things would have been different. With their postseason spot secure, Washington opted to give Daniels an extended period of rest and take away the risk of further punishment.
Daniels came back out of the medical tent and saw out the first half. That indicates the problem isn't too serious, but the Commanders didn't want to leave anything to chance considering how vital the signal-caller is to their playoff ambitions.
It's probably not the end Daniels wanted for his regular-season efforts. However, keeping the bigger picture in mind was far more important in the grand scheme of things.
A somber end too Jayden Daniels' exceptional rookie regular season
Fans have become used to seeing Jayden Daniels perform miracles under center. This wasn't his most profitable day at the office. It was a somber end to the signal-caller's exceptional rookie regular season.
Daniels is a highly competitive guy. He was eager to finish on the front foot and build additional positivity before the wildcard round. That wasn't the case, but it doesn't detract from the remarkable impact he's made on the organization overall.
Nobody anticipated the Commanders to be competing for honors this season. It was expected to be a transitional year with so many changes throughout the offseason. Daniels' seamless integration propelled him to superstardom and raised expectations to levels not seen for decades in Washington.
One indifferent half doesn't change that. And fans can relax safe in the knowledge Daniels has the correct resolve to shrug this off and get back on track when the playoffs begin.
Daniels has already proven he's the man for the big occasion. It doesn't get much bigger than a playoff game on the road in Year 1 of his NFL journey.
Buckle up.