Loading ...Jayden Daniels is not human.
Washington’s rookie quarterback, franchise savior, and most popular Washingtonian put his team on his back yet again, throwing for 227 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 122 as the Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 before a sellout crowd at Northwest Stadium.
He is a dangerous player and not by design that some of these runs that took place,” head coach Dan Quinn said. But when the time comes to go, I thought there was some smart out of bounds runs. But there are some times when he’s gonna go and it’s not always, I cringe sometimes [laughs], but I also know that I know what the competitor is too.”
The win clinches a playoff spot for the Commanders for the first time since 2020. Most of it due to the play of Washington’s franchise quarterback. It took almost 70 minutes but in the end, Daniels walked off the field with a win in primetime and a date with the 2024 postseason.
The game couldn’t have started better for Washington. Quan Martin intercepted Atlanta rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on the Falcons’ first series, returning the ball to the Atlanta 40-yard line.
It took the Commanders just seven plays to score when Daniels found wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Penix settled down after that and took control of the first half. He mixed a safe passing game with dominant running from Bijan Robinson to quiet the sellout crowd at Northwest Stadium.
He drove Atlanta 70 yards in 10 plays, capped off by a Bijan Robinson 13-yard touchdown run to tie the score at 7.
The first half also saw Washington become its own worst enemy, committing several costly penalties, wiping out key gains on offense, and giving the Falcons extra downs when they had the ball.
Daniels wasn’t immune from the mistakes. On the Commander’s third possession of the game, Daniels tried to hit Jamison Crowder over the middle only to be intercepted by Kaden Elliss.
“I could’ve played better,” Daniels said. We were down in the red zone I threw a pick, just little stuff like that. You’re not going to be perfect but you strive to be that as close as possible.”
Once again, Bijan Robinson found the endzone, on a one-yard run. Robinson finished the game with 90 yards rushing and two touchdowns. A field goal pushed the Atlanta lead to 17-7.
To their credit, Washington’s coaching staff made the adjustments to play an outstanding second half.
Washington kept the ball for more than 12 minutes in the third quarter.
On its first possession, Washington kept the ball for almost eight minutes. Daniels did most of the work, either running or throwing on 12 of the 15 plays of the drive, including the 10-yard pass to Zac Ertz in the endzone to cut the lead to 17-14.
The Commander’s defense forced an immediate three-and-out series on Atlanta, giving the ball back to Daniels and the offense. The Commanders responded with a 14-play, 70-yard drive.
With Atlanta’s defense on its heels, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury leaned on the running of Chris Rodriquez and Jeremy McNichols to pound the Falcons for another seven minutes.
“Chris and others have really stepped into that space and I thought the time of possession for the second half, feeling the offensive line, that was a really important thing for us for those who’ve been around a lot,” Quinn said. “We’ve talked about the importance of running the ball and making some big plays and so not getting in the one at the end, we were bummed about. But, Chris has a significant role here with us and he’s aggressive. He plays square and downhill. And so sometimes between [RB] Brian [Robinson Jr.] and him and [RB] Jeremy [McNichols], when they bring another guy in fresh and ready to go fight, it’s a big deal.”
In all, Washington kept the ball for 14 of the first 16 minutes of the second half. Rodriquez finished the second drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Commanders its first lead, 21-17.
The Commanders were plagued by penalties all night. Washington was flagged 13 times for 108 yards. The one call that could have cost the Commanders the game came late in the fourth quarter.
Daniels found Zaccheaus for a touchdown that would have put Washington ahead by two scores with four and a half minutes to go. Instead, Washington settled for a field goal and a 24-17 lead.
Faced with a must-score drive, the Falcons were able to exploit Washington’s secondary (Marshon Lattimore did not play after reinjuring his hamstring last week). Pennix tied the game with a 13-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Pitts.
Atlanta had a chance to win the game in regulation but missed a 56-yard field goal at the end of regulation.
The Commanders won the toss to start overtime and put the ball in Daniels’s hands to win the game.
Once again, the rookie responded. Daniels accounted for 67 of the first 68 yards of the overtime drive. He sealed the game with a two-yard touchdown pass to Ertz to win the game, 30-24.
“He’s the most mature rookie I’ve ever been around. He approaches the game, he loves to learn,” Ertz said. “And so, he just, he exudes such a quiet confidence. He’s not out there, a rah rah guy, but we all know how good he is and how much confidence we have in him. And so, he doesn’t need to say anything.”
The win didn’t just put the Commanders in the playoffs, it also improved their postseason seeding. At 11-5, Washington has the same record as the Green Bay Packers but due to tiebreakers, Washington is now the sixth seed in the NFC. A win next Sunday in Dallas would send Washington to Los Angeles or Tampa to play the Rams or Bucs on wildcard weekend instead of Philadelphia for a third game against the Eagles.
“We’ve grown so much. I love this team so much,” safety Jeremy Chinn said in a joyous post game locker room. “You know, we’ve had a lot of success, but like I said, we’re not finished. We want to just keep on going, but it’s a great feeling.”
Is a trip to L.A. instead of Philly enough to play the starters in week 18? It’s a wonderful problem for Dan Quinn and his coaching staff to have in this surprising and wonderful season.
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