- Daniels carries Commanders into playoffs. This is a new era in Washington under a welcomed new regime. The fresh face of the franchise had every Commanders fan smiling wide after his latest histrionics, as Jayden Daniels dazzled with his arm and legs to lead Washington to a comeback win that included a 2-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Zach Ertz in OT. It was Daniels’ third touchdown pass of the evening. He finished a historic night, one in which Washington clinched just its sixth playoff berth this century, completing 24-of-36 passing for 227 yards with the three TDs and an interception. However, it was his legs that often did the heavy lifting, as he carried the ball 16 times for a season-high 127 yards. Daniels now has 864 yards rushing on the season, surpassing Robert Griffin III’s previous rookie record of 815 yards set in D.C. in 2012. Daniels now also has 31 total touchdowns, becoming just the fourth rookie QB with 30-plus total touchdowns, joining Justin Herbert (36; 2020), Cam Newton (2011; 35) and Russell Wilson (2012; 30). If there was any remaining question on who the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year should be, Daniels answered it. If there were any questions left that Daniels has the franchise turned around, he answered those, too, as he and the Commanders are officially back in the postseason.
- Robinson shut down in second half. Amid anticipation aplenty for 2024 first-round quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. squaring off, it was 2023 first-round running back Bijan Robinson who stole the show in the first half. He had a career-best 82 first-half rushing yards to go with a pair of 1-yard touchdowns. However, Dan Quinn and the Commanders defense made it a priority to bottle up Robinson in the second half and they did so in emphatic fashion. While Daniels was leading the Commanders offense to a comeback, the defense was smothering Robinson, who had just 36 yards on six carries, 12 coming on one run, in the final 30 minutes for Washington, which didn’t get the ball in OT. Credit to Bobby Wagner and the bunch for their efforts and to Quinn and his staff for making the adjustments. Falcons coach Raheem Morris’ time management, particularly not calling timeouts with the clock winding down in the first and second halves will be heavily scrutinized. It should be, but the Commanders’ ability to stop Robinson from taking over the game following halftime was huge for Washington.
- Zaccheaus steps up again, this time against former squad. There were no perfect performances in this one and Olamide Zaccheaus unfortunately had a great ball from Jayden Daniels go through his grasp on third-and-10 to end Washington’s last drive in regulation. Zaccheaus’ performance prior to that and over the past two weeks deserves recognition, though. Since Noah Brown went on injured reserve after Week 13, Zaccheaus has stepped up. The veteran who played four seasons in Atlanta found the end zone for a second week in a row, posting eight catches for 85 yards (both team highs) to go with his 7-yard touchdown in the first quarter. With A.J. Terrell blanketing Terry McLaurin and holding him to one catch, Zaccheaus wasn’t just a fill-in No. 2, but he emerged as Daniels’ No. 1 target. Much of the Commanders’ success this season has come thanks to vets on one-year deals contributing and Zaccheus is one of them.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Falcons-Commanders (via NFL Pro): Jayden Daniels rushed 16 times for 127 yards against the Falcons in Week 17, resulting in the most rushing yards and the third-most rushing yards over expected (+42) by any quarterback in a game this season.
NFL Research: Sunday’s matchup between Jayden Daniels (No. 2 overall pick in 2024) and Michael Penix (No. 8) was just the third game between rookie QBs on teams with a winning record entering the game since 1950. The first was in Week 9 of 2012 when Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts defeated Ryan Tannehill and the Tennessee Titans. Daniels has now played in and won the last two. He and the Commanders also won in Week 8 on a Hail Mary against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
