Jayden Daniels of the Commanders becomes a heavy hitter with his comeback.

LANDOVER, Md. – Dan Quinn refers to the NFL’s elite teams and players as “heavy hitters.” On Sunday, his rookie quarterback joined that category with an improbable, last-minute victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

But it was already clear that Jayden Daniels was capable of such a feat. The consistency he achieved as a 24-year-old in his first season in professional football is remarkable.

And that success earned his head coach the highest honor.

“Today,” Quinn said after the game, “he became a strong hitter. He really did.”

With six seconds left, Jayden Daniels found Jamison Crowder for a 9-yard touchdown pass that gave the Commanders a lead. A successful two-point conversion and a kickoff that never posed a threat later, and Washington emerged victorious 36-33.

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“I love situations like this,” Daniels said. “That’s when the ice is thin and plays need to be made. This is what you live for if you truly love this sport and live with your back against the wall for the big moments when it matters in the end. How will you react then?

“I always believe that we can win the game no matter what happens. Games are never over until the clock hits zero.”

Daniels surpassed Robert Griffin III’s franchise mark for total yards (rushing and passing) by a rookie quarterback – he now has 4,040 – and became the first rookie quarterback in Washington franchise history to do so, according to the Commanders threw five touchdown passes in one game. He is the sixth rookie in NFL history to achieve this feat. Daniels finished the game 24-of-39 for 258 yards and also threw two interceptions.

With Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sidelined for the remainder of the game after sustaining a concussion in the first quarter, the Commanders found themselves in a 27-14 hole with 3:11 left in the third quarter. But the Eagles’ winning streak didn’t extend to 11 games and they’ll have to wait at least another week to clinch the NFC East.

“When there’s a little adversity, that’s when you see the true character of a group of people,” said wide receiver Terry McLaurin (five catches, 60 yards), who caught a 32-yard pass from Daniels near the left pylon for a touchdown in the second quarter. “It was a tough win for us. And hats off to them. Honestly, it was a playoff atmosphere.”

Perhaps this was foreshadowing on McLaurin’s part. In three weeks there is a possibility that these teams will face each other in the playoffs.

The Commanders started the game with a turnover on downs, a fumble and a punt on their first three drives of the game. An interception by linebacker Frankie Luvu on backup quarterback Kenny Pickett put the Commanders in the red zone, and Daniels found Crowder for a 6-yard touchdown to put Washington on the field.

“Another Sunday afternoon,” Quinn said jokingly. “What a wild game.”

The Eagles led 21-7 at the end of the first quarter; Saquon Barkley burst for a 68-yard touchdown on a perfectly blocked play and had 109 rushing yards on seven rushes and two scores in the first 13 minutes of the game. During their week of preparation, Quinn said he and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. preached containing Barkley in the second half; During the two teams’ game on November 14, Barkley had two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

“Maybe I made too big of a deal in the second half,” Quinn said with a laugh, “I missed it right at the start.”

Brian Robinson Jr. fumbled twice and spent most of the second half on the sideline. Dyami Brown also fumbled and Daniels threw two interceptions over the middle on overthrown balls intended for rookie wideout Luke McCaffrey – the second of which came with the Eagles leading 30-28 with 2:53 left in the game.

Eagles wideout DeVonta Smith dropped a third-down pass in the red zone with 2:02 left to prevent his team from running out the clock and escaping with a 30-28 victory. Instead, Nick Sirianni sent out his field goal unit to extend the lead to 33-28 – leaving the door open for another late comeback by the Commanders at home.

“I got a second chance to make things right,” Daniels said.

Washington defeated the Chicago Bears in October with an improbable Hail Mary, finishing on the wrong side of late-game odds with 41 points in a 5-for-16 finale in a 34-26 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Last week, the defense stopped the New Orleans Saints with a two-point conversion that clinched the game with no time left.

With the Atlanta Falcons’ victory over the New York Giants on Sunday, the Commanders will no longer have a chance to secure the franchise’s playoff spot since 2020 this week. But Washington could take advantage of the prime-time opportunity next week when it takes on the Falcons on “Sunday Night Football.”

But with much not going right for the Commanders early Sunday, Quinn said Daniels’ ability to turn around a game in the final minutes is what makes him – and the entire team – special.

“Knowing that at the end you’re ready to make a play-to-go and give yourself a chance to win it, that’s a big deal,” Quinn said. “I thought there was a lot to be gained today. In some ways it was ugly, but in some ways it was outstanding in terms of the resilience and willingness of these guys to not back down.”

Daniels was also in control before the end of the game. At the end of the third quarter, Washington faced a quarterfinal. The 2023 Heisman Trophy dropped back, saw a split-millisecond approaching lane in the middle of the field, and gained 29 yards.

“We don’t consider him a rookie. He acts like a vet,” right guard Sam Cosmi said. “So when it comes to things like that, we don’t really have any doubt about his ability to get the offense where we need to go.”

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Jayden Daniels of the Commanders becomes a heavy hitter with his comeback.

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