There's one man the Washington Commanders have to thank for postseason football in 2024.
Jayden Daniels.
Daniels finished the game against the Atlanta Falcons completing 24-of-36 attempts for 227 passing yards and three touchdowns with one interception. He also rushed 16 times for 127 yards.
He has now thrown five touchdowns in the last 30 seconds of the fourth quarter or overtime, which hasn't been accomplished by any quarterback in league history. An astonishing achievement for anyone, let alone a rookie.
When you think of some of the best to ever do it, a common trait in those players is their clutch gene. When the game is on the line they deliver. Daniels proved against the Falcons, and throughout this whole season, that he has this skill in abundance.
Cool, calm, and collected. That's exactly how Daniels was in the Commanders' overtime drive to seal the game.
Even when Zach Ertz caught the game-winning touchdown, Daniels did not immediately celebrate. He knew that there was always a chance of the play getting called back. That is a testament to how composed the signal-caller is in these moments — calmness is a key ingredient to being clutch.
Jayden Daniels has one more objective to achieve before the playoffs
The Commanders have booked their place in the knockout rounds. However, there is still a lot to fight for in Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Washington holds the NFC's sixth seed after the Green Bay Packers lost to the Minnesota Vikings. This would set them up to battle the Los Angeles Rams in a mouth-watering wildcard showdown.
If the Commanders fell to the seventh seed, they would have to face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road instead. It's unfortunate to say, but the Rams are undoubtedly the easier match-up. Avoiding an extremely tough division rival in the first round of the playoffs is important.
Daniels' legs are what kept the Commanders in the game against the Falcons. He must continue to utilize them versus the Cowboys.
He must make sure to avoid injury with the playoffs in sight. That doesn't mean he shouldn't run, it just means Daniels needs to step out of bounds every chance he gets at AT&T Stadium.
Daniels' speed allows him to get the edge on just about every defender to pick up the required yardage. Instead of fighting for extra like he was forced to several times against the Falcons, he needs to live to fight another day — even if he doesn't get everything from one play to the next.
The Heisman Trophy winner did have one big mistake against the Falcons. His one interception was a costly one. He got lurked by Kaden Ellis and did not read what the defense was doing correctly. Fortunately for the Commanders, Daniels rarely makes the same mistake twice.
The Commanders cannot let the Cowboys cost them the sixth seed. That's the one remaining objective for Daniels from a phenomenal 2024 regular season.