Jayden Daniels has made it his mission to turn doubters into believers this year. After winning 12 games for the Washington Commanders as a rookie (their most since 1991), he also led them to their first playoff win since 2005 with a 23-20 triumph on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Wild Card weekend. In praising Daniels, Stephen A. Smith compared him to another exciting young Washington QB from about a decade ago.
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That player was fellow No. 2 overall pick (2012) Robert Griffin III. And when we say compared, we mean Stephen A. acknowledged that Daniels has already eclipsed anything RG3 achieved while he was playing in the nation’s capital.
“The season he’s had, the greatness that he’s put on display, the fact that he doesn’t look like a rookie, he’s clearly going to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. The brother is special, there is no doubt about this. He is everything the nation’s capital fantasized about RG3 being when he was there, and then some.”
Fellow First Take pundit and former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky also gushed about Daniels following his triumphant playoff debut. Orlovsky stressed that Daniels is bringing the Commanders out of the dark ages after two decades as an irrelevant franchise. He even poked fun at those who suggested that Daniels was too light or skinny to survive the rigors of the NFL for a full season.
“This is about a young man that has gone to the Commanders and totally changed the next 10 years. I’m not trying to disrespect anybody in this regard, but he’s doing it with a below-average offensive line and Terry McLaurin… He’s got all the necessary attributes of what it takes to play at that position at a high level.”
Daniels was so impressive that he had Orlovsky believing that he could maybe even upset the Detroit Lions. The ESPN analyst also pointed out that Daniels probably should’ve been the first QB taken in the 2024 Draft. While most pundits would have ripped his head off for saying that back in April, he wouldn’t get any pushback now that we’re in January.
Jayden Daniels made history with Wild Card win
Jayden Daniels didn’t just win that Wild Card game, he made some history in the process. He became just the 4th rookie QB in NFL history to win his road playoff debut.
Rookie QBs are 4-15 all-time in that scenario, with the only other exceptions being Joe Flacco in 2008 (his Ravens went all the way to the Conference Championship), Mark Sanchez in 2009 (his Jets also reached the AFCCG), and Russell Wilson in 2012 (he beat RG3 in Washington).
Daniels hasn’t just been winning games, though. He’s been the catalyst for those wins. He was exciting to watch, but he was also efficient and responsible with the ball. His 69.0 completion percentage wasn’t just 6th among all QBs in 2024; it’s the greatest single-season rookie completion percentage of all time. Daniels was also one of 11 QBs to post a passer rating of 100+ this season.
Then there are his late-game heroics. He engineered four 4th-quarter comebacks, which is the 2nd-most ever by a rookie in a single season. Once again, with the game on the line on Sunday against the Bucs, he displayed the poise generally reserved for 12-year veterans. Down 17-13 heading into the final frame, he cobbled together a touchdown and a field goal drive to push the Commanders through.
Whatever happens from here on out, this season can already be classed as a success. Jayden Daniels has led the team to their first playoff win in two decades, and he’s already essentially secured this season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He was a -15,000 to -20,000 favorite when the books closed on the OROY betting markets last week.
