Even as a rookie, Jayden Daniels is quickly gaining a reputation as a late-game escape artist.
Daniels led the Washington Commanders' thrilling comeback on Sunday, driving them 57 yards in the final two minutes and hitting Jamison Crowder with a 9-yard touchdown pass in the closing seconds to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 36-33.
"I always believe that we can win a game no matter what," Daniels said, per the official transcript. "The game is never over until the clock hits zero."
The Eagles took a 30-28 lead with 3:48 remaining, but Daniels threw an interception under duress -- one of five turnovers for Washington on Sunday -- that Reed Blankenship returned to the Washington 27-yard line. Four plays and 55 seconds later, another field goal increased Philadelphia's lead to 33-28.
No two-minute stoppage. One timeout. Down a touchdown. That's when Daniels is at his best, even after the crippling interception.
A penalty and long kickoff return got the Commanders started at their own 43-yard line, but Daniels carried them most of the rest of the way. He completed four of five passes on the final drive (with a spike to stop the clock) for 33 yards and two runs for 14 more, hitting Crowder for the 9-yard TD with six seconds left. The Eagles' kickoff return came up short, and Washington reached its first 10-win season since 2012.
"If you give him moments, he really lights up in those spots," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters after the game.
Daniels first showed signs of his late-game magic in a fourth-quarter comeback against the Giants in Week 2. He reached another plateau with his Hail Mary against the Bears in October, a game Daniels wasn't even expected to play with a rib injury. Then Sunday, in the Commanders' biggest game to date, Daniels delivered again in crunch time.
"Today he became a heavy hitter," Quinn said. "He really did."
Daniels actually needed to lead the Commanders back twice in the fourth quarter, hitting Olamide Zaccheaus for two TDs to give Washington the lead with nine minutes left before the Eagles regained the advantage. Interestingly, both Zaccheaus and Crowder each caught a pair of TDs passes in the game. Both players entered Sunday with zero touchdown receptions.
For the game, Daniels completed 24 of 39 passes for 258 yards, five touchdown passes and two picks. He also ran for 81 yards on nine carries. Daniels is only the third QB to have five or more TD passes and 75 or more rush yards in the same game, joining Lamar Jackson (twice in 2019) and Cam Newton, who did it once in 2015.
The stats are impressive. But Daniels said he most cherishes having the game on the line and the ball in his hands. The fact that his late turnover made the comeback more difficult gave him even more motivation.
"I love those types of situations," Daniels said. "... (The game is) on thin ice, and plays need to be made. That's what you live for if you really love this sport, you play for those big-time moments where it comes down to the end.
"Until the end, everything's against you, your back's against the wall, how will you respond?"
With a game-winning drive and another rousing victory, naturally. It's what Daniels is becoming known for early in his career.
