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'Locked in' Daniels eyes historic road playoff win

  • John KeimJan 24, 2025, 03:32 PM ET

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      John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the team in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He has authored/co-authored four books. You can also listen to him on ‘The John Keim Report’, which airs on ESPN Richmond radio, and follow him on Twitter @john_keim

ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, sitting on the bench, turned to a group of Detroit Lions fans heckling him Saturday, smiled and formed a heart with his hands. Washington had just been stopped on a fourth-and-1, and the Ford Field crowd was loud.

But all Daniels did, captured by WUSA-TV in Washington, was smile at them and form a heart with his hands and then deliver a 45-31 victory.

“I didn’t really say anything,” Daniels said. “I kind of let my play do the talking.”

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It’s that mindset Washington hopes results in a trip to the Super Bowl as Daniels will be playing in front of a Philadelphia fan base considered one of the most hostile in the NFL. The Commanders and Eagles play at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Daniels also is trying to become the first rookie quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl; five others have reached the championship game and lost. Daniels said earlier this week he wasn’t thinking about that, rather focusing on that day’s practice.

Nor is he worried about playing in another intense environment. After all, Washington has won its first two playoff games on the road. In those games, Daniels has thrown four touchdowns and no interceptions. He has an NFL-best 86.9 quarterback rating for the postseason.

“He’s locked in from the start of Quarter 1 to the end of Quarter 4,” Washington receiver

“We’ve played in some of the most hostile environments, playing in some of the biggest stages, and he’s treating it the same every week. I love that about him. That permeates throughout our team. … There’s a reason I feel he has a chance to be a really great player in the league.”

And, in the regular season, Washington was 5-3 on the road with Daniels owning the fourth-best QBR at 70.6 with 10 touchdowns and only two interceptions.

In other words: playing on the road hasn’t bothered him.

“I don’t really try to pay attention to the unnecessary things as far as the crowd and stuff like that,” Daniels said. “They’re there obviously to pump up their team, cheer for their team, talk trash. If you get caught up in that, at that point they got what they want.”

Some of Daniels’ biggest moments have occurred on the road this season, starting in a Week 3 “Monday Night Football” win at Cincinnati. On a third-and-7 with 2 minutes 15 seconds left, he connected with receiver Terry McLaurin for a 27-yard game-clinching touchdown pass — while being drilled by a blitzing defender.

He led a game-winning drive to beat Tampa Bay 23-20 on a last-second field goal in the wild-card round. He threw for 299 yards, his second-highest total of the season and most on the road, in the win over Detroit — going 11-for-15 for 201 yards vs. the blitz.

Washington coach Dan Quinn said more than playing on the road, it’s the Eagles’ defense that will be difficult to navigate. The Commanders were held to 264 total yards, their second lowest of the season, in a 26-18 loss at Philadelphia in Week 11. They won the rematch 36-33 in December despite five turnovers.

Quinn said Daniels’ work throughout the week enables him to not be intimidated on the road.

“You have confidence when you put the work in,” Quinn said. “That carries a lot whether you’re at home or on the road. Having that background of work, man that gives you a lot of confidence.”