Washington (AFP) – Jayden Daniels has already transformed the Washington Commanders from perennial strugglers to NFC Championship contenders, and on Sunday he has a chance to make history by becoming the first rookie quarterback ever to reach the Super Bowl.
The 24-year-old Californian, taken with the second overall pick in last year’s draft, has electrified the NFL this season, becoming an instant star in a league where quarterbacks usually have to bide their time before reaching the summit. Standing between Daniels and a trip to New Orleans for the Super Bowl are divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, who are seeking to return to the biggest game for the second time in three years. The Commanders beat the Eagles 36-33 just four weeks ago, with Daniels orchestrating the game-winning drive in a contest that went down to the wire. That was a performance that epitomized the composed way in which Daniels has taken to the high-octane environment of the NFL.
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“I just think, for me, football is just fun, and it’s like a safe haven for me, everything that I’ve been through personally in my life, so I’m not really going out there and stressing about the moment,” Daniels said on Wednesday. “Because at the end of the day, I get to do what I love.” He produced 12 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter or overtime in the regular season— the most of any rookie quarterback this year.
“He is the Terminator,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said this week. “He’s got rare in-the-moment skills that have allowed us to be in this spot. When it’s mental chaos going down and two minutes, and in these tight moments where it could feel that tight, he’s got the experience of somebody that’s played a lot more football than a first-year player,” he added.
The Commanders, previously known as the Redskins, have long struggled to find the right man at the most important position in the game. In the 32 years since their last Super Bowl win, the team tried 35 different quarterbacks. Joe Theismann, a Super Bowl winner with the team in 1982, believes that Daniels’ performances are unmatched for a rookie. “If you were to write down 10 things you want in a quarterback, he checks every box. I’m excited for him. He’s a great kid, too,” he told TMZ Sports.
The winner of the Heisman Trophy last year, awarded to the best player in college football, Daniels has seamlessly switched to the pro ranks, being named Rookie of the Year by the Professional Football Writers Association. But while his relaxed, smiling approach has won many admirers, quarterbacks in the NFL are judged by their numbers, and Daniels’ record is impressive.
In the regular season, he completed 331 of 480 passes, sixth-best in the NFL, for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, ranking him seventh in the NFL for quarterback rating. He also had 148 rush attempts for 891 yards, the second-most among NFL quarterbacks, including six rushing touchdowns. While the numbers don’t quite justify Theismann’s claim for Daniels to be considered for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, two more wins would put him into a whole new category.
But Daniels is not getting too far ahead of himself. “It’s a blessing to make it this far in the season,” he said. “I know that countless teams want to be in this position, so it is a blessing. Can’t really take it for granted, but you also just gotta be in the moment and take it one day at a time,” he added.
© 2024 AFP
