Jayden Daniels really did leave the NFL world shaking their heads at times.
In his rookie season of 2024, Daniels led the Commanders from a 4-13 2023 season to a 12-5 shocking year.
All year, Daniels would escape the pass rush week after week, find open receivers, and make big plays on third and fourth downs.
However, there is this one statistic that will blow you away.
The LSU rookie quarterback led the Commanders to three games last season, during which time Washington did not punt or commit a turnover as a team.
You say, “Ok, that’s impressive, but how many times has it been done on the NFL?” I’m so glad you asked; you see, you may be surprised to find out how little it has been accomplished.
No, in fact, if you were like me, you would be shocked, not merely surprised. According to a post by NFL Stats, legends Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Montana, and Peyton Manning have combined for just two such games in their careers.
Combined for only two? In their careers? And Jayden had three such games in one season?
A fair response might be that Dan Quinn had Daniels go for many fourth-down attempts rather than punt, and that is true. It is also true that a failed fourth-down attempt actually turns the ball over to the opponent.
During the 2024 #NFL season, Jayden Daniels led the #Commanders to 3 games this season with 0 punts and 0 turnovers.
Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning have combined for just 2 such games in their careers. pic.twitter.com/OA8aNM28yC
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) February 17, 2025
Yet, look at those names again. They only combined for two of these games their entire careers.