“He Only Took One Sack”: Greg Olsen Analyzes Jayden Daniels’ 5-Touchdown Show in Eagles vs. Commanders Game

Sunday’s NFL action featured some of the most entertaining contests of the season. In an afternoon full of fun finishes, there was no more thrilling conclusion than the one that occurred in the nation’s capital. There, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels found wide receiver Jamison Crowder in the waning seconds of regulation to propel the Washington Commanders to a 36-33 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Daniels piled up 339 total yards (258 passing, 81 rushing) and five touchdowns in Week 16. He carried the Commanders back from an early 21-7 deficit to put them on the precipice of a playoff berth. FOX analyst Greg Olsen couldn’t help but shower him with praise postgame.

“To put those drives together [in] that second half is pretty remarkable… he did it against a lot of the things that make Philly so hard [to play against]… he only took one sack… the two fourth down scramble runs… it’s all the things he needed to do well today for them to win.”

Daniels absorbed eight sacks in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints. Washington nearly lost to New Orleans – in controversial fashion – as a result of those negative plays.

This week-to-week growth is something that Daniels has exhibited all season long and is the reason he’s the favorite to win Rookie of the Year honors.

Is Jayden Daniels underrated?

Early in the year, there was no hotter story in the NFL than Daniels. He captained the Commanders to a 7-2 start and completed what may be the play of the campaign to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 8.

In November, Daniels’ flame began to fizzle. He struggled in Washington’s losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Eagles (Weeks 10-11) and fell to the Dallas Cowboys (then 3-7) at home in Week 12. It looked as if he had hit the “rookie wall.” Since then, though, he has stepped up to orchestrate three straight wins, culminating in Sunday’s last-second triumph.

Daniels’ season-long stats – 69.7% completion percentage (301/432), 3,303 passing yards, 737 rushing yards, 28 total touchdowns and eight interceptions – are impressive.

They don’t align with the numbers of MVP candidates Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, but are the best among rookies and compare favorably to the production of many other quarterbacks. Olsen thinks his brief downswing impacted how he’s viewed.

“We came onto the broadcast saying, ‘is it possible, in the midst of what’s likely to be an Offensive Rookie of the Year season… that people aren’t giving him enough credit for the season he’s having?’ I think any of those concerns are out the window.”

The Commanders (10-5) are 1-1 in primetime football this year. Those appearances (Weeks 3 & 11) came on the road.

In Week 17, Daniels gets to play his first home game versus the Atlanta Falcons (8-7) on Sunday Night Football. A win on SNF would clinch Washington’s first postseason since 2020.