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Jayden Daniels shines in victory over Eagles
Breaking down the top plays from Jayden Daniels in the Commanders win over the Eagles
Daniels completed 24 of 39 passes for 258 yards and five touchdowns, with two interceptions too. He also had an additional 81 yards rushing on nine carries, most of which came on scrambles. Now he was far from perfect in this game and had plenty to clean up, but he did show a lot of the reasons why the Commanders drafted him second overall. He showed tremendous poise in the biggest moments and made critical plays every time the team needed one. So instead of focusing on the negatives, I thought as a Christmas week treat, I would focus this post on the big plays that Daniels made in this game. Let’s start with his first touchdown pass.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury calls a nice concept here. The idea is to fake a quick screen to Dyami Brown in the flat with Terry McLaurin and Jamison Crowder blocking for him on the edge. However, that screen is actually a fake, with McLaurin and Crowder faking blocks before releasing into their actual routes.
Jamison Crowder sells his route perfectly here. He’s always been an excellent route runner with great burst in the slot, but he gets the tempo of this route spot on. He can’t go too fast or the defense will be alert to him running an actual route, but too slow and it will look suspicious too. He gets the tempo just right, making it really look like he’s trying to block a defender on the screen. After holding the fake block for just long enough, Crowder then shows that burst to accelerate up the seam. Daniels spots the safety inside working towards the flat on the fake screen and with the defender not facing him. Daniels knows he can just throw the ball behind him for Crowder to run onto. That’s exactly what Crowder does and the Commanders score a touchdown to keep themselves in the game after a horrific start.
The Commanders ended up fumbling in the red zone on their next possession, but they did put together a solid drive to get there before turning the ball over. One of the key plays that put them in a good position before the turnover was an audible from Jayden Daniels on third and eight.
Washington Times
LOVERRO: Daniels has answers for franchise buried under decades of questions, doubts, despair
Your Commanders team is down 14-0 before the Philadelphia Eagles fans even settled in their seats at Northwest Stadium? No problem. Jayden Daniels.
Your team commits five turnovers? No problem. Jayden Daniels.
One of your valuable offensive weapons, running back Brian Robinson, fumbles twice while running with his foot in his mouth after mouthing off on the radio that his team was better than the Eagles? No problem. Jayden Daniels.
Your prize new celebrated cornerback, Marshon Lattimore, gets flagged for three pass interferences penalties trying to cover Eagles all-world receiver A.J. Brown? No problem. Jayden Daniels.
He rewrites the record books for rookie quarterbacks every week. He is something that few, if any, have ever seen before. The talent. The poise.
As broadcaster Bob Costas once said when another legendary Washington rookie, Stephen Strasburg, had his unforgettable Nationals debut, “Unleash all the superlatives. They all seem to apply.”
Washington Post (paywall)
To make a deep run, Commanders will need to reestablish their ground game
Washington has been struggling to run the ball — except when Jayden Daniels tucks it — but help could be on the way.
Over the past two weeks, Washington’s once-prolific rushers have been ineffective, leaving the Commanders’ rushing attack almost exclusively to quarterback Jayden Daniels.
For Washington to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night — and to make a deep postseason run thereafter — finding more balance will be paramount.
In the first nine weeks of the season, the team’s running backs averaged 108.7 yards on the ground for an average of 5 yards per carry. During the team’s three-game losing streak in November, their production dipped to 62.3 yards per game (and 3.3 per carry) before they rebounded with a 229-yard performance against the Tennessee Titans in Week 13. And that was without Austin Ekeler, who suffered a concussion near the end of the team’s loss the previous week to the Dallas Cowboys and was on injured reserve.
But since the bye following that Titans game, Washington’s running backs have struggled to produce at a similar level, totaling 103 rushing yards in the past two games for an average of 2.6 per carry.
In their 39 rushes over the past two games, Washington’s backs have averaged just 0.10 yards before contact, the lowest among NFL rushing corps in that span.
After Sunday, Washington could get help. Ekeler will be eligible to return to practice if he’s healthy. Asked whether Ekeler could return for the season finale, Quinn said it’s “absolutely possible.”
“Austin is definitely trending in the right way,” he said. “Workouts are going great, and the meetings, he’s doing all the stuff with us. We’re certainly optimistic, and we’ll just play the whole thing out.”
Commanders.com
Practice notes | Jayden Daniels gives offensive line special Christmas gift
Daniels has put together one of the best seasons for a rookie, both in terms of franchise history and the league as a whole. He surpassed Robert Griffin III for the rookie single-season passing yards record; he has recorded 4,040 combined yards (passing and rushing) and has set a new franchise single season record for combined yards by a rookie quarterback, passing Robert Griffin III (4,015); and he joins Griffin and Deshaun Watson as the only quarterbacks to throw for 4-plus touchdowns and rush for 65-plus yards in a game during their rookie seasons among several other accolades.
Daniels has his offensive line to thank for that, particularly when it comes to his most recent performance against the Eagles. Philadelphia, which entered the weekend ranked ninth in sacks, only brought Daniels down one time. Daniels used the clean pocket to throw five touchdown passes, including the game-winner to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left in the fourth quarter.
“[Offensive Line Coach] Bobby [Johnson] has those guys prepared and ready to go no matter what,” Daniels said Nov. 12. “So, and they’re all pros in there. They all take their job very seriously and they’re all prepared. So, no matter who’s in there, I know they’re going to be prepared to go out there and play.”
Riggo’s Rag
Commanders face anxious wait amid latest Marshon Lattimore injury concern
Marshon Lattimore faces a critical few days.
It’s a waiting game for everyone. The Commanders will go through a walk-through tomorrow before having Christmas Day off. Normal service will resume on Thursday when Lattimore’s prognosis should become clearer one way or another.
The Commanders have a small window to rest Lattimore if they come out of their Sunday Night Football game against the Atlanta Falcons with a win. That would confirm their playoff spot, which would allow the Ohio State product to rest versus the Dallas Cowboys and get a fortnight to recover before Washington’s wildcard clash.
It’s a precarious situation. Lattimore is an integral part of the team’s defensive strategy. Having him on one side of the field allows coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. the freedom to leave him on an island and focus on the rest.
Sports Illustrated
Commanders WR Jamison Crowder Shines for Second-Straight Week Off IR
The Washington Commanders brought Jamison Crowder off injured reserve and he’s been shining ever since.
The Washington Commanders needed someone to step up when receiver Noah Brown went down with a rib injury that turned into a kidney injury.
In his place, the Commanders have resorted to moving Terry McLaurin around more but have also gotten other receivers like Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus more involved in the offense.
One player, receiver Jamison Crowder, has not only gotten involved with Brown off the field but is also doing so by coming off injured reserve himself. With his second-straight key performance since returning, Crowder is our Washington player sustained for the second-straight week.
Upcoming opponent
The Falcoholic
NFC South Review: Atlanta retakes the lead
The Falcons are back on their perch.
The Falcons are a schedule one narcotic that won’t ever get out of your system. This team knows how to reel its base back in every time. Michael Penix made his NFL debut, and he was Joe Cool in the pocket all game. He led the Falcons to one of their most dominant team wins in years. On top of that, Atlanta was given a second chance.
Once again, the team controls their destiny on the road to the playoffs. That road won’t be easy with the Commanders on deck, but nothing in this league comes easily. Michael Penix has the opportunity to have a legendary origin story if he can help lead Atlanta into the playoffs, and I believe he can do it.
Have your emergency contact information ready for these final two weeks. The NFC South loves to put on a good show, and the excitement is unlikely to end early. Who will be the last team standing?!
Podcasts & videos
Episode 980 – Jayden Daniels as a rookie has more games with a Total QBR of at least 90 (four) than all Washington QBs from 2017-2023 (three). I off Dan Quinn’s Monday presser discuss the greatness of JD5, BRob’s status as RB1, #Commanders‘ defense & more.https://t.co/kqP1ypgNwV
— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) December 24, 2024
️ I gabbed with my guy @JacksonSports about Jayden Daniels’s absurd performances, the ownership group’s positive impact, giving the Rivera-era picks a shot, and postseason scenarios. Happy Holidays!https://t.co/5HYJeGCBPy
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) December 24, 2024
On video with @CraigHoffman. Enjoyed the conversation, digging into Jayden Daniels’ “clutch gene”. Why is he so good in these times? We explore. Goes beyond talent. More. @ESPNRichmond https://t.co/ja9Tl7sL3y
— John Keim (@john_keim) December 24, 2024
Jayden Daniels Week 16 Analysis
Jayden Daniels and Michael Penix Jr. in NFC Clash | Commanders vs. Falcons Week 17 NFL Preview | PFF
Comment: This preview comes from two people who have apparently never seen the Commanders play football.