Heading into Saturday night’s NFC divisional round matchup, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels knew the Detroit Lions would come after him. The Lions loved to blitz, but, decimated by injuries, they had no choice but to be aggressive.
They were aggressive, and Daniels was ready, much like throughout his record-breaking rookie year. Daniels completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 51 yards. He saved his best work for Detroit’s blitzing.
According to Next Gen Stats, Daniels completed 12 of 16 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown vs. the blitz. He was not sacked.
Jayden Daniels excelled in the most difficult passing situations against the Lions.
🔸 vs. Blitz: 12/16, 191 yards, TD (+7.0% CPOE)
🔸 O2.5 sec: 10/16, 172 yards, TD (+6.3%)
🔸 Under Pressure: 7/9, 109 yards (+17.6%)Daniels was sacked zero times.
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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 19, 2025
ESPN’s Matt Bowen highlights one of Daniels’ most clutch throws under pressure on fourth-and-2. Detroit came after Daniels, and he calmly found Terry McLaurin to make it first-and-goal.
Jayden Daniels vs. the blitz (5+ rushers)…
11-of-15, 185 yards, 1 TD (QBR = 99.4).
Quick throws on the perimeter. Screens. Find the underneath outlets. Protection on shot plays.
Daniels played with poise. And Kingsbury had answers for pressure. 4th down call here (Mesh). pic.twitter.com/gWFcI3W3uZ
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) January 19, 2025
Daniels’ legend continues to grow after his performance against the Lions. Next week, Washington will travel to Philadelphia for the NFC championship. The teams split the regular-season series, with the Commanders winning in Week 16.
