LANDOVER, Md. — No matter what happens in the remaining weeks of the Washington Commanders’ amazing 2024 season, there is one ending that matters above all else. With the fight at stake, there’s no doubting Jayden Daniels.
“Certainly, it’s a big takeaway,” right guard Sam Cosmi said.
Cosmi was on the field when the rookie quarterback with video game mobility and a talented right arm once again played the role of hero.
The 36-33 victory over the NFC East-leading Philadelphia Eagles, played in temperatures mostly staying below 30 degrees, wasn’t the best game for the rookie quarterback from start to finish. But when you put the circumstances together, including the lack of offensive ability and the threat of missing the playoffs, Daniels showed that he was worthy of attention.
Like his teammates for much of the game, Daniels traded dynamic highlights for uncharacteristic mistakes. Washington committed five turnovers, including Daniels’ two interceptions. That doesn’t include the early drive where he was stopped on fourth down midfield. Part of the reason was that they had yet to beat a team at the level of the Eagles this season.
Yet somehow, Washington somehow managed to improve to a franchise-best record since 1991, going 10-5 in 15 games. It helped that Daniels threw a career-best five touchdown passes. With six seconds left, he hit wide receiver Jamison Crowder with a 9-yard rocket, sending a charge into the stands and Washington’s sideline.
Jamison mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
📺 #PHIvsWAS FOX pic.twitter.com/k718liTMwK
— Commander Washington (@Commanders) December 22, 2024
After the Eagles’ lateral resulted in a fumble on the final play, the players ran off the field in celebration. Members of the ownership group took up their usual positions outside the locker room. The 309-pound Cosmi’s post-fight enthusiasm lifted minority partner Mitch Lares and threw him into the air. Cosmi grabbed the 68-year-old Lares to do his best Crowder impersonation.
“He loved it,” Cosmi said. “I think.”
The win was the second shocking win for the franchise this weekend. Time was running out as Washington moved closer to building a new stadium in the nation’s capital. Even if quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t get injured (concussion) for more than three quarters, Philadelphia could have stopped the game multiple times. That wasn’t the case.
The Eagles could have run out the clock with three minutes remaining after Daniels’ second interception (eighth of the season) if DeVonta Smith had caught a third-and-five pass from backup Kenny Pickett. There was sex. Instead, Philadelphia made kicker Jake Elliott’s fourth field goal with 1:58 left to take a five-point lead. Even in a stressful late-game scenario, Washington’s quarterback never seems to falter, maintaining a calm approach even though the EKG may have looked flat.
Asked if he doubted Washington would win at any point, Daniels said: “No, not at all.”
So what if the coaches allowed Saquon Barkley 109 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter, or were up 27-14 with three minutes left in the third quarter? What if Marshon Lattimore went to the sideline in the fourth quarter with another hamstring issue? They were about to end a long day covering receiver AJ Brown or lose their cushion as the third and final NFC wild card team with two minutes left.
“I always believe we can win the game no matter what,” Daniels said. Daniels was 24-of-39 for 257 yards and five touchdowns. “The game is never over until the clock hits zero.”
even deeper
With the cooperation finally in place, the commanders play winning football and win in Congress.
Longtime observers of the series have had a hard time accepting the possibility that the other shoe won’t drop this season. After 20 years of dark clouds, a bright sky can look like a mirage. For the past 20 years, opposing teams have used star players or random quarterbacks to make plays that lead to wins.
Punter Torres Way’s 11-year career included countless such heartbreaking results. Those teams didn’t have Daniels.
“I’ve been saying this all year while answering a lot of questions about Jaden,” said Way, who wore No. 5 until Daniels arrived. “When he’s on the field, you have a chance.”
Future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner watched as Luke McCaffrey, another member of Washington’s rookie class, capped off an impressive kick return job with a 29-yard thump. Once the offense took the field, suspicions distanced themselves from Daniels’ substitute brother.
Wagner believed the boy, who is just four days away from his 24th birthday, was ready for this moment. Why not? Daniels had two game-winning drives on his resume as a freshman and was a clear example of his impressive composure.
Manager Dan Quinn was relieved that his defense held Philadelphia to a field goal late in the game. It also helped that Barkley was limited to 27 of 150 rushing yards in the second half.
Quinn had watched Daniels enough to know the offense had plenty of time for a touchdown drive. It started with a 7-yard goal to Olamide Zachias, one of Washington’s unexpected standouts. After crossing midfield on Brian Robinson Jr.’s 5-yard run, Daniels found his favorite target, Terry McLaurin, on the left side for 10 yards.
The two scored a 32-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It was McLaurin’s 12th, tying the franchise record with Super Bowl winner Ricky Sanders. Fortunately, Washington entered halftime trailing 21-14. The play began with Daniels’ great vision. He found McLaurin near the front left corner of the end zone. The receiver tracked the ball and made an incredible overhead reception.
Franchise record tied: @TheTerry_25 with 12 TDs.
📺Fox | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/JhFT4TLtQL
— Commander Washington (@Commanders) December 22, 2024
“Dude, he’s very calm,” McLaurin said of the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to throw five touchdown passes in a game and the sixth rookie in NFL history. “Regardless of whether we’re making plays or making mistakes, he has a way of staying balanced that I’ve never seen in a rookie at any position.”
Daniels, the team’s leading rusher with 81 yards on Sunday, put the ball at Philadelphia’s 23 with less than 30 seconds left and moved the chains with a 12-yard convertible dash up the middle. Ta. Calmness is part of his DNA, but his fluency in determining what to do in any game scenario comes from countless hours of work at team facilities.
“You’re seeing the results out there,” Wagner said. “We see it in practice. It’s fun for you guys to see what we’re seeing.”
Another McLaurin catch, another positive scramble by Daniels, and Robinson’s final carry moved the ball to the Eagles’ 9-yard line. The quarterback spiked the clock to stop the clock with 10 seconds to play, the only incompletion on the final drive, leaving Quinn to calculate all the remaining variables in this “intense game.”
Quinn saw his team “fall into a big hole” in the first quarter. Washington gained 8 yards on its first three offensive drives. Philadelphia scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, led by Barkley’s 68-yard blast down the left sideline. Either way, the coach understood this group’s never-surrender mentality. “We’re never out of the fight,” Quinn said.
Mistakes happen. Great people quickly overcome those low moments. After his interception late in the game, Daniels showed he’s one of those guys.
“That’s the key to everything,” Quinn said after Washington’s first win since 2002 with at least five turnovers. “I think I was able to sort out my feelings after knowing that the interception took place.”
Daniels may feel the need to don the superhero cape now more than ever. Two of Washington’s top pass catchers, wide receiver Noah Brown and running back Austin Ekeler, are on injured reserve. Tight end Zach Ertz spent the week in concussion protocol and finished with one catch on two targets. The running back gained 32 yards on 15 carries. As usual, Daniels wasn’t worried.
Zacchaeus and Crowder, members of an overlooked receiver room, entered Sunday with zero touchdown catches. They left in groups of four. Zacchais reached the end zone twice in the fourth quarter, including on a break play that resulted in a 49-yard touchdown. Crowder played most of the season on IR and scored his first score for the team with a 6-yard catch in the first quarter.
lead = taken
thank you.
— Commander Washington (@Commanders) December 22, 2024
Both smaller targets were on the field in sets of four receivers. Crowder’s route from the right side stimulated Ertz’s under action. He found space near the back of the end zone and Daniels found him. Of course I did. Crowder revealed after the game that the offense ran the same red zone play in Friday’s practice, “and I caught the same pass.”
Jeremy McNichols then ran into the end zone for the two-point conversion. Somehow, somehow, Washington continues to find a way to win. They only need one more to advance to the postseason.
“We shot ourselves in the foot so many times,” Cosmi said. “We fought until the end to get the win in the last two minutes and we did it.”
Quinn doesn’t let his players think about anything other than the task at hand. He also knew the game was important to boost his confidence against potential playoff opponents. “If you want to be a favorite, you’ve got to beat some heavy hitters,” he said Friday.
After the win, Quinn said they were “closer” to believing they could beat anyone. He said Hurts’ injuries limiting Philadelphia couldn’t be ignored, and his five turnovers were egregious. Fortunately, he has a quarterback in Daniels who “loves to be in that space” when the winning moments come.
Daniels is the overwhelming favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year. That recognition will come later. After this incredible come-from-behind victory, Quinn paid tribute to the rookie in his own way.
“Today he became a hard hitter,” the coach said.
(Photo: Peter Casey / Imagn Images)
