The Washington Commanders shocked the nation with a victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night, punching their ticket to Lincoln Financial Field for an NFC Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles.
And though it's probably not the opponent they anticipated, the Birds still have their work cut out for them thanks in large part to the talents of Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw for 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions and 3,568 passing yards during the 2024 regular season.
Asked if Daniels is playing the best of any rookie quarterback he's seen, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who first entered the NFL as a linebackers coach in 1986, was straight-up: "Probably, yeah," he said, per Pro Football Talk.
He then went on to issue some more high praise for the rookie.
“He’s a young quarterback by birth certificate," Fangio said. “The guy is playing extremely well. You can tell how much they think he’s playing so good, because of their offense and things they trust him to do, and he has come through for them in a big way. He’s tough to handle.”
“He’s a young quarterback by birth certificate, not by game tape”
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) January 21, 2025
— Vic Fangio on Jayden Daniels pic.twitter.com/aUaEN6QHcO
Philadelphia and Washington played each other twice this season—once in November, when Philly won, and once in December, when Washington clinched the playoffs thanks to some late-game heroics from Daniels himself. So at this point, the Eagles defense should know who they're dealing with. And per Fangio, it sounds like they do.
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Eagles DC Vic Fangio Had High Praise for Jayden Daniels Ahead of NFC Championship .
