How many different exciting endings can Jayden Daniels script? Throw an interception with time running down — hold the opponent to a field goal and a 5-point lead — drive your team down to the 10-yard line with 10 seconds left — throw the game winning touchdown for your 5th touchdown pass of the day for the game winner with 00:06 on the clock. Come on, that is fiction, right? Nope, and keep in mind that the Washington Commanders committed five turnovers in the game.
Sure, the Commanders made winning harder than it had to be with a first quarter that self-inflicted two fumbles lost by Brian Robinson plus a 4th down play that Robinson couldn’t get the one foot he needed to get the first down that resulted in a turnover on downs. If not for Daniels in this 36-33 win, it would have been a lopsided loss. He carried this team on his arm, legs, and heart. Daniels’ five TD passes were exceptional, and allowed you to forget about his two interceptions. The running game was miserable except for the brilliance of Daniels, who ran for 81 yards compared to a pathetic 32 yards combined by his three running backs.
For the young kids that are “gamers”, Daniels played like he was a video game superstar against a bunch of average dudes. He was 24-39 in the passing game, and there were a few drops, or the numbers could have been even better. This is why Daniels is considered the favorite to win the offensive Rookie of the Year award. He now has 22 touchdown passes — and more importantly, those 10-wins next to his name could be the most since 1991 -if- Daniels can get at least one more win. You know what happened in that year.
“I love those types of situations. Those are when it’s on thin ice and plays need to be made. That’s what you live for. If you really love the sport you live for those big-time moments where it comes down to the end, everything’s against you, your back is against the wall. How will you respond?”
— Daniels said after the win
The game winning TD pass with 00:06 seconds remaining in the game to Jamison Crowder on a slant-post route was the exact play they practiced on Friday. It worked in practice, and it worked for the game winner. Crowder was on injured-reserve (IR) list for the first 15 weeks of the season until he was activated last Sunday. This week, he had two key touchdown catches.
All week we heard how Washington couldn’t beat a team with a winning record. We saw the 0-4 record against winning teams was continuously flashed in a graphic, as well as the 9-1 record against losing teams. All of that ended on Sunday as the 10-5 Commanders are in control of their playoff destiny. A win on Sunday against Atlanta clinches a Wild Card berth. What a victory.
