Daniels’ legend grows as rookie leads overtime drive to send Commanders to playoffs

The legend of Jayden Daniels grew Sunday night as he threw a two-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Ertz in overtime to secure a 30-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, sending the Washington Commanders to the playoffs for the first time since 2020. 

The presumptive Rookie of the Year threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns and added a team-high 127 yards as a rusher, a new career-high. 

The postgame celebrations were, understandably, exuberant. Owner Josh Harris, who turned 60 on Sunday, received a playoff berth and a joyous locker room for the occasion.

“It was lit,” rookie defense tackle Jer’Zhan Newton said with a smile. “Game balls, happy birthdays, a lot of dancing, a lot of turning up. Man, every week is something new, something fantastic. Can never leave the game. We’re just the team you can never count out.

The festivities even included a proposal, as special teams ace Jeremy Reaves proposed to his girlfriend, Mikaela Worley, after the game. She said yes, to the All-Pro’s delight. 

“We had a long day to think about it. I was like, ‘God, you gonna tell me if this is the game to do it?’” Reaves said in the locker room. “We win this game? It’s destiny.”

The legend-making performance was emblematic of an electric rookie season for Daniels, as he set an NFL record for the most single-season rushing yards by a rookie quarterback with 864. 

“The fanbase waited a long time for this,” Daniels said after the game. He was referring to the playoff berth, but the same could be said about the franchise’s need for a long-term solution at quarterback. 

Through 16 games, the 24-year-old from LSU looks like the answer. 

“I can’t put into words how much it means to them and how much it means to me, to be able to go out there and lead this franchise and this team to opportunities like that,” he said.

Despite Daniels’ best efforts, the unlikely victory was almost spoiled by widespread penalty issues by Washington’s offense and defense. Holding calls plagued the offensive line, while the secondary almost lost the game on pass interference calls. 

The Commanders finished with 13 penalties for 108 yards, many coming in key moments to extend Atlanta’s drives or doom Washington’s possessions. 

With time ticking down in the fourth quarter, Falcons rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was trying to engineer a last-second scoring drive with the score tied at 24. 

Commanders cornerback Michael Davis committed pass interference with two seconds left, allowing Atlanta kicker Riley Patterson to attempt a potentially game-winning 56-yard field goal as time expired. 

He missed. 

Penix, who threw for 223 yards while completing 19 of 35 attempts with a touchdown and an interception, never got another chance to earn the win.

Washington received the opening kickoff of overtime, and Daniels led the Commanders down the field to secure the victory. 

In a season full of comebacks, their quarterback’s late-game heroics have almost become routine to Daniels’ teammates — they see it every week. For months, veterans like wide receiver Terry McLaurin and linebacker Bobby Wagner have heaped praise on the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft. 

“He’s not a rookie,” said wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus, who finished with eight catches for 85 yards and a touchdown against his former team. “I’ve been saying it all year; he just plays way beyond his years.”

Daniels has completed four game-winning drives in his first season — he ranks second in the league behind three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

With Harris as owner, general manager Adam Peters overseeing the roster, coach Dan Quinn rallying the players and Daniels driving the offense, Ertz noted that these aren’t the same old Commanders. 

“Every day since the moment I got here, this place has exceeded every expectation I had,” he said, noting that he heard negative “rumblings” during his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. “This is honestly the most fun I’ve ever had playing football.”

The 11-5 Commanders will end the regular season with a Week 18 matchup against the division-rival Cowboys in Dallas. Washington currently holds the sixth seed as the second of three wild cards in the NFC.

With the loss, Atlanta fell to 8-8 and will need help to secure a playoff berth in the NFC South.

But even for Washington’s playoff-bound players, there’s work to do. 

“It’s always more work, more improvement, always areas to get better,” said safety Quan Martin, who recorded a team-high eight tackles and an interception. “Just keep improving.”

Even if Washington falters in the season finale, the franchise has already secured their best record since 1987. That campaign ended with a Lombardi Trophy.

“We have the guys leading us with [Quinn and Peters] to give us that chance to win the whole thing. You got to get to the playoffs,” said guard Nick Allegretti, who signed with Washington this offseason. “So now, we got into the playoffs, but there ain’t a reason to go to the playoffs if you don’t win it.”