Jayden Daniels Leading the Way to a Bright Future for the Commanders

When your rookie quarterback comes to the party in the biggest game of the season, you know that you have a player to savour.

And that’s perfectly the case for the Washington Commanders, who seem to have unearthed a gem in Jayden Daniels.

The 24-year-old was in irresistible form for the Commanders in their Wild Card win over the Buccaneers; serving up a 69% pass completion ratio, with 268 passing yards and two touchdowns.

And given that Daniels still has another three seasons to run on his contract, Washington fans can be hopeful that the quarterback will be leading them into battle for the 2025-26 season and beyond.

Raising His Game

What was most interesting about Daniels’ performance against Tampa Bay was that he played better than he had, on average, during the regular season: rare for any QB, but especially so for a rookie on debut.

He passed for 3,568 yards in 17 games during the first part of the campaign; an average of 209 yards per contest. So, by successfully completing for 268 yards in the Wild Card game, Daniels had raised his game considerably.

Maybe the Commanders’ in-game strategy, as well as the context of the match, played a part in his higher output. But make no mistake, the quarterback produced one of his best performances of the season when it mattered the most.

His touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin and Dyami Brown set up the victory, while his maturity during the final plays of regular time was enough to create a field goal opportunity for Zane Gonzalez. He, with the help of the upright, was able to oblige and complete the 23-20 win.

That pitted Washington against the Detroit Lions in the NFC divisional playoffs, who had been installed as the Super Bowl betting favourites for the entire campaign. Dan Campbell’s side, who finished the regular season with an outstanding 15-2 record, justified such favouritism ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs, who simply love a big day out, and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Given that the Commanders were still priced at odds of 28/1 to win Super Bowl LIX heading into the NFC game suggests that the bookmakers believe they aren’t quite at elite level… yet, at least.

But if they can build a dynamic roster around their outstanding quarterback Daniels, Washington could become a big-time player in 2025-26.

On the Attack

Washington’s attacking game was so impressive during the regular season. And it will be fascinating to see how they harness that next term.

They ranked third for rushing points gained and fifth for points scored per game in 2024-25, which shows just how elite their offensive style – built around Daniels’ athleticism.

Only one quarterback – the incomparable Lamar Jackson – ran in more rushing yards than Daniels, so when the Washington playmaker isn’t exercising his cannon of an arm he’s stretching his legs and taking advantage of his eye for space and speed from a standing start.

He’s been well supported in that regard by running back Brian Robinson Jr, while Daniels’ key pass targets – McLaurin (1,096 yards, 13 touchdowns) and Zach Ertz (654 yards, seven touchdowns) – also came up with the goods more often than not.

And what about the not impossible scenario of Tyreek Hill signing on the dotted line?

So that’s the good news. The bad? If the Commanders are going to fulfil their potential next season, Dan Quinn and his defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr are going to have to improve their resilience in their own half of the pitch.

They shipped an average of 23 points per game last term, which is simply far too many for Washington to become a pivotal franchise in the Super Bowl shake-up. High scoring games are fun for neutrals watching on TV – and often good news for ‘overs’ seeking bettors, but they reveal a defensive weakness that is ambition-ending.

Digging deeper into the Commanders’ woes, they’re not actually that bad at defending pass plays, but as soon as the call comes for the opposition to run, that’s when they seem to go to pieces.

It’s a frailty that the NFL’s best will routinely take advantage of, so Quinn and his coaching team now have the spring and summer to figure out a solution. Whether that’s via the personnel in-house already, or through the trade window and/or Draft, only time will tell.

But if a sticking plaster can be found, Washington’s impressive attacking unit could well take them on another incredible journey to the play-offs in 2025-26.

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