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The Washington Commanders had perhaps the most surprising season of any team in the NFL. Thanks in large part to their sensational rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders finished second in the NFC East with a 12-5 regular season record and made the playoffs. They won two postseason games before their season came to an abrupt end with a 55-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Jayden Daniels had a rookie season for the ages
Led Commanders to 12-5 regular season record
31 Total TDs in regular season
2 road playoff wins (including beating No. 1 seed)
Led Washington to their first NFC Championship since 1991 pic.twitter.com/1hGYfEtu0G— ESPN (@espn) January 27, 2025
Daniels tried to become the first rookie quarterback to win three postseason games on the road. He completed 29 of 48 passes for 255 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He also ran the ball 6 times for 48 yards and a touchdown.
The rookie quarterback from LSU was clearly upset that his team’s season came to an end with the loss to the Eagles. He offered a rather harsh opinion of the loss but still managed to show his support for his teammates. “This sucks,” Daniels said. “This s**t sucks. Excuse my language but I couldn’t be prouder of my guys.”
The Commanders took an early 3-0 lead on the first possession of the game, but the Eagles responded quickly when Saquon Barkley exploded on Philadelphia’s first play from scrimmage with a 60-yard burst around the left side for a touchdown. Barkley added another touchdown — this time on a 4-yard run — before the Commanders got back in the game.
After another field goal, Daniels hit wide receiver Terry McLaurin with a 36-yard scoring pass. It appeared the Commanders would be able to give the Eagles a fight, but Philadelphia was relentless in the second half.
The Eagles simply had too much firepower in their ground game for the Commanders to remain in the game. Barkley set the tone with his early touchdown run. He finished with 15 carries for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Barkley got plenty of help from quarterback Jalen Hurts, who scored 3 rushing touchdowns of his own. Hurts completed 20 of 28 passes for 246 yards and he also threw a TD pass to A.J. Brown. He did not throw an interception against the Commanders.
A loss in the NFC Championship Game should not take away from Daniels’ sensational rookie season. He completed 331 of 480 passes for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He also rushed for 891 yards and 6 touchdowns while averaging 6.02 yards per carry.
In addition to his eye-catching regular season, Daniels led the Commanders to postseason road victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions.
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