Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels remained unfazed as he led his team on a game-winning field goal drive to earn a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Making his first career postseason start as a rookie on the road and against a regular playoff team? Not a problem for Daniels. Leading a game-winning drive with perfect clock management so that the Buccaneers never got the football back? Easy.
Nerves are never apparent on Daniels, who has led five game-winning drives this season. When kicker Zane Gonzalez made the game-winning field goal that doinked between the uprights, Daniels reacted like it was any other play.
Winning your first career playoff game? NBD 😂@JayD__5 | @Commanders pic.twitter.com/7cy4oJlIPX
— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2025
Daniels rarely displays emotions during games. Instead, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn recalled that the most emotional he's seen Daniels is for a teammate, when backup quarterback Marcus Mariota led a game-winning touchdown in their Week 18 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
“Probably when Marcus [Mariota] threw the game-winning touchdown pass in Dallas," Quinn said. "… So the most emotional I’ve seen him is his joy for Marcus into that spot to let that emotion and happiness out for a guy that means a lot to him.”
CLUTCHHHHHHH
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 5, 2025
📺 #WASvsDAL FOX pic.twitter.com/i5W55JC4JJ
12-5@budlight | #EasytoCelebrate pic.twitter.com/jkAMPkxOL8
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 5, 2025
Outside of a rare moment when he celebrated his teammates' success, Daniels's play is defined by his poise and presence under pressure—a major reason the Commanders have adopted an aggressive mindset and become one of the final eight teams in the NFL.
The Commanders went for five fourth downs on Sunday, and have become one of the best fourth downs teams ever statistically.
Best fourth down team in history strikes again! https://t.co/lstFP9SPX0
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) January 13, 2025
For a team that earned the No. 2 overall pick a year ago, they are remarkably improved and more confident. It comes back to Daniels.
“Where he’s the one in charge, he’s iced up man, he ain’t letting you into that," Quinn said. "Inside the lens of that helmet, he’s a killer.”
“He’s done it all year," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Sunday. "He has no conscience."
"He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Monday.
Between his selfless cheering for Mariota and his teammates, and almost nonchalant style of play, Daniels has become the face and reason for change on this Commanders' franchise. Whether it's just gaining an improbable first down or helping the team win their postseason game in nearly two decades, Daniels has willed this team to a new and much more optimistic future.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dan Quinn Reveals Surprising Moment He Saw the Most Emotion From Jayden Daniels.
