The commanders in Washington should not have been here. Not now, not yet. But by finding and improving their all-conquering franchise quarterback, they are now one win away from the least likely chance of reaching the Super Bowl.
The bar was low, as low as the NFL. As Washington continues to slow its march toward a new era of ownership under Josh Harris and scrambles to completely reset and rebrand, Challenge No. 1 is simply the Dan Snyder administration’s melancholy. It was an escape from harsh reality.
They may have achieved both in just one year. Dan Quinn bet on himself to orchestrate a culture change as a brave candidate to take on the challenges that lie ahead in Washington and succeeded, and Jaden Daniels had one of his best (if not the best) rookie seasons. ). With the best quarterback in NFL history, we were able to lay the foundation for a new chapter of not just relevance, but controversy.
Washington entered the postseason without making the playoffs for the first time since the 2005 season, ultimately losing to the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round. They made the playoffs just six times in 24 years under Snyder’s ownership, before finally selling in 2023 after sexual harassment allegations against employees and a toxic work environment.
The Commanders ranked 24th in offense and last in defense in 2023, fired head coach Ron Rivera and continued to languish in an extended period of quarterback purgatory. They found themselves in the least attractive destination for any coach or player in the league, but with a low tier to life in Maryland, “it can’t get any worse.” That idea was somehow one of the places with the most opportunities. It’s the only possible way.
They acquired Quinn, whose coaching career was revived in Dallas, and Daniels, the Heisman Trophy winner, with the No. 2 pick in the draft. With both at the helm, they are able to move the process forward ahead of schedule with a newfound family environment that can weather adversity that might have previously derailed them, and the addition of unknown goods and veteran members. Contributions were shared among the funky ensemble.
In wild card weekend, they held off the attack of Baker Mayfield and the high-flying Tampa Bay Buccaneers thanks to Zane Gonzalez’s last-second field goal. And last weekend, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Daniels outplayed Ben Johnson and Jared Goff to eliminate the Detroit Lions, the league’s hottest offensive line and a solid Super Bowl favorite, and the latter’s turn. Overs also played a decisive role. night.
Daniels’ dominance was accompanied by relief from Kingsbury, the centerpiece of Washington’s offense. Kingsbury’s coaching credentials were in dire need of a reboot when he was fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2022 after four seasons (including three non-playoff seasons). That’s why he booked a one-way ticket to Thailand to take a vacation. He took time away from football to spend time with Caleb Williams at USC in 2023 before eventually returning to the NFL to join Quinn’s staff and lead one of the league’s best offenses.
Now, I don’t know how many of you are fans of The Hangover II, but there’s a scene where Alan meditates at Chinmei Monastery in Bangkok and is led to the next clue in his search for his missing friend Teddy. I’d love to see Kingsbury follow suit, humming along to rediscover the answer to aggressive reinvention and innovation. Spoiler: He found it.
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Washington Commanders’ Jayden Daniels scores a “Hail Mary” touchdown to Noah Brown, clinching victory over the Chicago Bears.
In Saturday night’s 45-31 win over the Lions, he provided answer after answer, most importantly on a 20-yard corner route to John Bates. The decision was to back up the ball tightly with a third-and-five and maintain the drive. With four minutes left, the game was on track but mostly frozen. Not Terry McLaurin, not Zach Ertz, not Austin Ekeler, not Dyami Brown, not Olamide Zachius, but Jon Bates, who had just eight catches in the regular season.
Fun fact: If you do a quick Google search for John Bates, the first image that pops up is of the Downtown Abbey character. By the way, Kingsbury is still being paid by the Cardinals.
When Dyami Brown broke free with the scissor concept, Tom Brady almost winced when he saw the cracks in the Lions defense. Kingsbury lined up with 12 and both tight ends remained in the backfield as decoy chip blockers before peeling back and dissecting Detroit’s tough second floor. A false outside zone then followed as Kingsbury used a pull guard to tee up a screen play on the field side of the formation and McLaurin did the rest with a 58-yard touchdown catch and run. There was also an aggressive attack to counter Aaron Glenn’s blitz, with a deep over route to Brown for a 38-yard shot, a 10-cent by Daniels, a great catch by the receiver to tie it, and Ertz’s 5-yard touch. I prepared the down. Kingsbury had his way for the majority of the match.
However, the story is Daniels. The coolest, slickest offensive pilot on the block doesn’t panic in the face of chaos, stays on track, dominates the pocket, dunks on the best teams in the league, and plays the latest on ice. Decide on slalom as a cold outside structure killer.
It’s his fault that New York Giants general manager Joe Schon persists as footage of his son telling him to draft Daniels during an episode of Hard Knocks resurfaces. He’s why expectations for No. 1 pick Caleb Williams have gotten even higher this year, and why the Chicago Bears were so eager to hire Lions offensive mastermind Ben Johnson as their new head coach.
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Highlights of the NFL wild card weekend between the Washington Commanders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Daniels quickly set the tone for the NFL, posting the best four-game winning streak in league history and winning Offensive Rookie of the Month for September.
In Week 8, he beat the internet and the Bears by going back and forth for 12.79 seconds. It was long enough to confuse Chicago’s downfield coverage, but it was the naivety of Tyrik Stevenson who fired a Hail Mary touchdown pass that was caught by Noah Brown. In Week 16, after the Eagles defensive tackle dove to catch the ball and Daniels spiked it with 11 seconds left to stop the clock, he laughed and joked with Jalen Carter, and five seconds later he I put my feet in my pockets. The veteran threw a 9-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Jameson Crowder in Washington’s 36-33 victory over its NFC East rival.
Daniels finished the regular season completing 331 of 480 passes for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, just nine interceptions, 891 rushing yards, and six scores on 148 carries, leading both completion percentage and quarterback rushing yards. He set a rookie record. He also became the first rookie to record over 300 yards of offense in multiple playoff games and the first rookie to have a passer rating of 100 or higher in multiple playoff games.
“He’s a young quarterback by his birth certificate, not by his tape name,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said this week.
“You know, he’s playing very well. If you look at the amount of offense they have and what they’re letting him do, you can’t help but wonder how well they think he’s playing. He’s done a lot for them, and he’s tough to handle. ”
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Jaden Daniels of the Washington Commanders found Jamison Crowder in the end zone and scored the game-winning touchdown late in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Obstacles were inevitable for newcomers, but when they came, he matched them in every way. The Commanders’ offense ranked first in EPA/play and fourth in success rate throughout the season after starting the season 5-2, but lost three straight from Weeks 8 to 12. and fell to 18th in terms of success rate and 16th in terms of success rate. They faced the Pittsburgh Steelers, Eagles, and Cowboys, and in the end, Philadelphia was able to take control of the division.
Daniels didn’t blink. And Kingsbury avoided collapse, and previous criticisms of him focused on his plans eventually became obsolete. The running game dried up a bit, but the managers responded by ranking eighth in EPA/play and sixth in completion percentage from Weeks 13 to 18. Catastrophe was averted.
“That’s what happens at this time of year in the NFL. You get to the middle and teams kind of figure it out and it doesn’t surprise anyone,” right tackle Andrew Wylie said during the midseason slump. “We have full confidence in our staff and players, and we will continue to do our best.”
Behind Daniels, they ranked seventh in total yards, 17th in passing, third in rushing, fifth in scoring, and finished the season fourth in third-down efficiency and fourth in EPA/play overall.
Mr. Aerts insisted he would not press the “panic button.” they didn’t. Daniels would never do that. And right now, no quarterback in the playoffs is playing better football than him.
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The best action from the Los Angeles Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles game in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.
Defensively, Quinn pulled production from everywhere except for the presence of famous names. Noah Igbinoghene has returned to his career as a starting cornerback after failing to lock down a spot in Miami, linebacker Bobby Wagner continues to put up elite numbers at age 34, and Dante Fowler Jr. is the No. He just led the team with 10.5 sacks. Nearly a decade after being drafted, Frankie Luv has emerged as a rising star, playing as a run defender, pass rusher, and in TV coverage. He recorded a career-high 8.5 sacks and reached the playoffs for the first time in his seventh season.
Behind the resiliency, behind the two playoff wins to date, behind the unexpected campaign, and behind the huge “everyone eats” menu of contributors, there is a sense of responsibility formed by Quinn and his staff. , a unique and cohesive locker room. It culminated with Washington’s first 12 wins since 1991, playoff wins against top-five offenses in Tampa and Detroit, and now an NFC Championship showdown against a familiar foe in Philadelphia. , whose No. 1-ranked defense and Saquon Barkley-inspired offense await.
Quinn and Daniels have shattered the laughing stock narrative. Together they can win everything.
What’s next?
Sunday, January 26th is the NFL Conference Championship – LIVE Sky Sports NFL – The Philadelphia Eagles will first face the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game at 8 p.m., followed by the Chiefs taking on the Bills at 11:30 p.m.
Super Bowl LIX will be held on Sunday, February 9th at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Sky Sports NFL Live Broadcast.
