Washington’s rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels showed poise and calmness despite a bloody face, leading the team to a dramatic 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their NFC wild-card game. With blood dripping down his face, Daniels tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Dyami Brown for a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Daniels, who was playing with poise all season, stayed cool and calm throughout the game, including on fourth downs when coach Dan Quinn passed up short field goals. He fired a 5-yard TD pass to Terry McLaurin, giving the Commanders a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter. Daniels connected with Brown for 21 yards on third-and-6 from the Washington 34 to extend the final drive.
The rookie quarterback finished 24 of 35 for 268 yards and two TDs, running for 36 yards and being sacked once. He completed 9 of 15 for 108 yards and two TDs on third and fourth downs, picking up eight first downs. The Commanders’ victory marked their franchise’s first playoff win since 2006.
Daniels will lead the team into the divisional round against the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions next Saturday night as an 8.5-point underdog. Despite being a rookie, Daniels has shown poise and calmness in pressure moments, saying “I think you just kind of find that zone… And you don’t hear anything — you just focus on your fundamentals and you focus on playing in the playoffs.”
Source: https://apnews.com/article/daniels-commanders-quinn-mclaurin-brown-3f599a3034fbefbcb2cdee303a824a36