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Commanders QB Jayden Daniels can make NFL history vs. Eagles

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My phone vibrated Monday morning. When I looked, I noticed a text from a good friend.

While driving early Monday, he was listening to a radio station. The host said something that really grabbed his attention, which made him think of me, a Commanders fan.

He texted me, telling me how impressed he was that Commanders’ Jayden Daniels has a good opportunity to become the sixth NFL rookie QB to start this year’s Super Bowl.

He was shocked when I replied, “Actually, no NFL rookie QB has ever started a Super Bowl.” Another exchange, and then I realized he had heard the radio host being confused, thus leading to my friend’s confusion.

It’s not all that uncommon, actually. In his first year of NFL experience, Daniels became the sixth rookie quarterback to start a conference championship game. However, because the station was not a sports station, the host incorrectly said “Super Bowl” instead of “conference championship game.”

For the record, who are the five NFL rookie quarterbacks who have started a conference championship game?

  1. Shaun King: In 1999, King started for the Buccaneers with the third-best scoring defense. They lost to the Rams in St Louis 11-6 in a defensive struggle.
  2. Ben Roethlisberger: The 2004 Steelers with the top-scoring defense in the NFL. But they lost by 14 to the Patriots (41-27).
  3. Joe Flacco: The Ravens in 2008 went 11-5, having the third-best scoring defense. But they lost to the Steelers 23-14.
  4. Mark Sanchez: The 2009 Jets, with the No.1 scoring defense, fell to the Colts 30-19 in the AFC title game.
  5. Brock Purdy: The 2022 49ers had the best scoring defense in the NFL. However, they lost to the Eagles 31-7 in the NFC championship.

The dominant characteristic of those teams was their defense being among the best or the very best during the particular season; they were led on offense by the rookie quarterback. Yet, all lost the conference title game.

The 2024 Commanders? The Commanders did have the 5th scoring offense, but their scoring defense was all the way down at 18th.

In conclusion, those teams were led by a dominant defense in all five cases above. The Commanders, the exact opposite is the case. They are actually led by their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels.