Joe Burrow vs. Jayden Daniels: How the Commanders QB Outscored His Bengals Rival in Rookie Year

The 2019 LSU Tigers are widely considered to be the greatest college football team that has ever existed, with Joe Burrow being one of the most prominent heads of that hydra. By the time it was 8 pm on August 23rd of 2020, he was already a Heisman trophy winner, a national champion, and the first overall pick in the NFL Draft, all by the age of 23. 

At the time, he was one of the best QB prospects that anyone had ever seen, but an untimely ACL injury brought an early end to his rookie campaign with the Cincinnati Bengals. In the 10 games that he did play, however, he was still able to produce 2,688 passing yards and 13 touchdowns while maintaining a passer rating of 89.8.

Burrow’s bounce-back year as a sophomore would prove to be the stuff of legends, but as far as the record books go, it’s his fellow LSU alumnus, Jayden Daniels, who has proven to be the most electric rookie in NFL history. Ahead of the 2024 regular season, Daniels wasn’t even regarded as the best quarterback in his draft class, as many thought that title belonged to Caleb Williams.

Nevertheless, that narrative quickly changed as the Commanders began to stockpile wins. By Week 9, Daniels had managed to guide Washington towards a 7-2 record, but the numbers just kept on coming.

When it was all said and done, he had somehow managed to produce 3,568 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns, 891 rushing yards, and six rushing touchdowns, all while maintaining a 100.1 passer rating. Not only did he break records, but he also managed to give the Commanders their first playoff appearance since 2020. 

Once there, Daniels needed little time to break Andrew Luck’s record for the most offensive yards by a rookie, including the playoffs, in NFL history. He also managed to overcome the odds by knocking off the number-one seed Detroit Lions to bring the Commanders to their first NFC Championship contest since 1991. 

To give some context, the United States was still in the midst of the Cold War with the Soviet Union the last time the franchise was in the NFC Championship. Suffice to say, Daniels’ performance was as historic as they come. 

Heading into the 2025 regular season, the 24-year-old will be hoping to follow in Burrow’s footsteps by reaching the Super Bowl as a sophomore. Although that’ll be easier said than done, as even Burrow himself didn’t have to contend with the fact that the defending Super Bowl champions reside within his own conference, unlike Daniels. 

Despite both of them being relatively young, they’ve already managed to establish themselves as two of the greatest products in LSU history, but then again, that’s likely not enough for these two signal callers. It’s officially championship or bust for both of them, and unfortunately, that’ll mean that the other will have to do without. 

In what has become a dog-eat-dog league, this particular pair of former Tigers appears to be at the top of the food chain, and that’s the way they like it.