Jayden Daniels has taken the NFL by storm this season. The Washington Commanders got everything they hoped for and more from the quarterback in Year 1 of his professional career. Now, he gets the chance to lead this waking football giant into the NFC Conference championship game.
That will be easier said than done at the Detroit Lions. However, one of the league's most prolific edge rushers believes the Commanders have a legitimate chance with Daniels leading the charge.
Daniels is an elite closer. He's poised beyond his years and almost always comes through in the clutch. The Heisman Trophy winner put together one of the greatest rookie seasons in history. Beating the Lions at Ford Field would propel him to the top without question.
Not many are giving the Commanders a chance. The Lions are almost double-digit favorites with sportsbooks and with good reason. They are the No. 1 seed with a fierce home-field advantage. But anyone dismissing Washington's hopes hasn't been close enough attention this season.
They are never out of the fight. They have built momentum, confidence, and culture within the locker room. They also have Daniels providing dynamic dual-threat production that opposing defenses find almost impossible to counteract.
Maxx Crosby believes Commanders can upset the Lions with Jayden Daniels
Add Maxx Crosby to the long list of those who've been impressed with Daniels this season. The four-time Pro Bowler lavished praise on the signal-caller during an appearance on Good Morning Football. In particular, he thought the dual-threat ability could be complicated enough for the Commanders to cause an upset and shake the NFL to its foundations.
"You've seen what Jayden Daniels has done all year. This Washington story has been crazy, how fast they've turned it around. Don't sleep on Jayden Daniels. That kid is so calm under pressure. People were talking about him coming to us [the Raiders] last year, I wouldn't have been mad about that. He's just cool and collected, and he's just so talented. If you're going to man up against Washington with that type of speed and talent out there, and a quarterback like Jayden Daniels — the Lions have struggled against dual-threat guys — I think he can really go in there and shock the world. It's not my prediction, but it could possibly happen."Maxx Crosby
"Don't sleep on Jayden Daniels" @CrosbyMaxx thinks @JayD__5 has the ability to shock the world 😤 pic.twitter.com/YNM8BJ5KJ3
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) January 17, 2025
This was a sentiment echoed by All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons earlier this week. He also tipped the Commanders to secure an upset, which is high praise from someone who's gone up against Daniels twice this season.
Whatever happens on the primetime stage at Ford Field, the Commanders' future is incredibly bright. General manager Adam Peters believed in Daniels and this faith was repaid instantly. This is the franchise-caliber presence under center Washington has craved for years. And there's just no telling how much better the former LSU star is going to get once the supporting cast gets upgraded this offseason.
When Daniels gets the chance, he'll look back on his rookie campaign with an enormous sense of pride. But his mentality and fierce will to win doesn't want this incredible run to end just yet.
And if Daniels and the Commanders do eventually go down, they're going to go down swinging. Make no mistake about that.