Through 55 minutes, the game had failed to live up to the hype and was highlighted by 11 punts between the two teams. With just over four minutes remaining, the Bears had the ball down five points. Williams put together a 10-play drive that was capped off by a short touchdown from Roschon Johnson with 25 seconds to play. A two-point conversion extended Chicago’s lead to three.
With less than 30 seconds and only one timeout to work with, it was going to be nearly impossible for the Commanders to drive down the field and make a kick. Daniels quickly picked up 24 yards with a couple of quick strikes to his two most reliable weapons, Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz.
After these two quick-hitters, the Commanders were on their own 48-yard line with just two seconds to play. The only path to victory would be a Hail Mary.
As we’ve seen throughout the year, Daniels was able to use his legs to extend the play and do something truly special. This 52-yard bomb to Noah Brown will go down as the signature play of Daniels’ sensational rookie season.
Week 16: Commanders vs. Eagles
It would be a little while before fans were treated to some more magic from Daniels, but this Week 16 NFC East clash did not disappoint.
Early in the game, it appeared that crucial turnovers would be the key storyline for the Commanders. After two fumbles from Robinson, an interception from Daniels, and a fumble from Dyami Brown, the Commanders found themselves down 13 points late in the third quarter.
Against the vaunted Philadelphia defense, nobody wants to be in a situation where they need two touchdowns in a hurry. Fortunately for the Commanders, they have Jayden Daniels at the helm.
Daniels and company quickly answered with a touchdown drive to cut the lead to six. The drive included a shifty scramble from Daniels on 4th-and-11 to move the sticks.
The Washington defense then came onto the field and forced a quick punt, sending Daniels right back out there. He led yet another lengthy touchdown drive that ended with a nice shake-and-bake score from Olamide Zaccheaus to put Washington up one.
After Daniels threw a pick that was returned to the Washington 27-yard line on the ensuing drive, it appeared that there had been one too many turnovers for the Commanders to overcome. The Eagles had the ball deep in Washington territory with three minutes to play.
With the opportunity to put the game on ice, Kenny Pickett, filling in for Jalen Hurts after the starter left in the first quarter with a concussion, couldn’t get anything going, and Philadelphia settled for a field goal once again to make it a five-point game.
With just under two minutes to play, Daniels would need to answer with a touchdown to secure a victory. He did just that, putting together a surgical touchdown drive where he threaded the needle to find Jamison Crowder in the back of the endzone with six seconds on the clock.
After Daniels threw a pick that was returned to the Washington 27-yard line on the ensuing drive, it appeared that there had been one too many turnovers for the Commanders to overcome. The Eagles had the ball deep in Washington territory with three minutes to play.
With the opportunity to put the game on ice, Kenny Pickett, filling in for Jalen Hurts after the starter left in the first quarter with a concussion, couldn’t get anything going, and Philadelphia settled for a field goal once again to make it a five-point game.
With just under two minutes to play, Daniels would need to answer with a touchdown to secure a victory. He did just that, putting together a surgical touchdown drive where he threaded the needle to find Jamison Crowder in the back of the endzone with six seconds on the clock.
After an uneventful drive from Washington and a missed field goal from Atlanta, Daniels was set to play in the first overtime game of his young career.
Just like all great quarterbacks, Daniels didn’t let the other team see the ball in the extra period. Daniels and Ertz accounted for nearly every yard on the drive, and the duo connected for the walk-off touchdown, as well.
For Daniels’ playoff debut, he’d have to head to Tampa Bay to take on Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Despite being on the road, Daniels displayed the same poise under pressure that we had seen all year long.
It was by no means a perfect game for Washington. They turned the ball over on downs twice and settled for a field goal, all of which occurred in the red zone. However, they kept the game close, capitalized on turnovers, and put themselves in a position to win as time expired.
The turning point of the game came early in the fourth quarter when Mayfield and Jalen McMillan couldn’t execute on a handoff, resulting in a fumble deep in their own territory.
Washington turned this turnover into a touchdown to McLaurin, leaving them with a three-point lead.
The Buccaneers made a couple of explosive plays on their next drive, but they ultimately settled for a field goal to tie the game up with 4:41 on the game clock.
Daniels took the field with one goal in mind: make this the final possession of the game. After a few strong plays from Brown and Ekeler, Washington faced a third down that would decide if Tampa Bay would see the ball again in regulation. With the game on the line, head coach Dan Quinn kept the ball in the hands of his star quarterback.
After securing the first down, Washington let the clock wind down and Daniels took a knee to set up the game-winning field goal attempt.
