First of Many 🏈
Daniels deserves a ton of credit for turning around a Washington franchise…
The most iconic play of the 2024 NFL season so far is officially part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Back in Week 8, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels threw a Hail Mary touchdown pass that was caught by Noah Brown with no time left to lift the Commanders over the Bears. Of all the NFL games to end on a Hail Mary, this was one of the absolute best:
.@JayD__5’ Hail Mary is Entering the #HOF! 🏆
His 52-yard game-winner to Noah Brown now has Brown’s gloves & the signed pylon on display! 🏈✨pic.twitter.com/pvCRgYcNiX
— LockerRoom RAW (@LockerRoom_RAW) November 8, 2024
The Hall of Fame exhibit for the play just made NFL news as it features Brown’s gloves and the end zone pylon from the game with autographs from the quarterback and receiver.
With the kind of start Daniels has had to his career, this might just be the first of many contributions to the Hall of Fame from him. The NFL rumors were that he was too reckless as a runner to succeed in the pros, but Daniels quickly proved the critics wrong as he embarked on maybe the greatest rookie quarterback season in NFL history.
📣New to the Hall!
On Oct. 27, 2024, @Commanders wide receiver Noah Brown slipped past a crowd of players and caught a 52-yard touchdown pass from rookie quarterback @JayD__5 to secure a “Hail Mary” win over the Bears. It marked only the seventh time in NFL history that a… pic.twitter.com/DQr25VSvne
— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) November 7, 2024
Rookie of the Year Is a Lock – How About MVP?
The true legacy of Daniels’ Hail Mary play will depend on just how great his season and career become. Quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall like Steve Bartkowski (Falcons) and Tim Couch (Browns) both won multiple NFL games with Hail Mary touchdowns, but for how famous those plays may be to those franchises, they’re more of a footnote in the grand scheme of NFL lore.
But if Daniels were to become the first rookie quarterback to start in a Super Bowl, or the first to win MVP since 1945 (Bob Waterfield), then the play’s legacy would obviously grow.
They might as well rename the Rookie of the Week award to the Jayden Daniels Award of the Week. Young man isn’t just taking over Washington DC, he has the Commanders poised to sweep a bunch of the NFL Awards. Rookie of the year, Coach of the Year, Executive of year. 🫡 @JayD__5 pic.twitter.com/RFF6byws59
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) November 7, 2024
But Daniels deserves a ton of credit for turning around a Washington franchise that has been dead in the water for literally decades. This is the only NFL team that has never won 11 games in the salary-cap era (since 1994). At 7-2, they have a chance to do so this season.
Numbers Don’t Lie
Don’t let some of the basic-looking Jayden Daniels stats, including the nine touchdown passes in nine games, fool you about how well he is leading this offense as a rookie. The Commanders are averaging 3.06 points per drive to lead the NFL this year.
For reference, the 2007 Patriots with Tom Brady and Randy Moss averaged 3.19 points per drive. Earlier this season, Daniels led 16 straight scoring drives when you exclude kneel-downs, the longest streak on record by a quarterback. The 2024 Commanders also just set a record for the fewest giveaways through nine games of a season with three turnovers.
Again, doing this as a rookie for a Washington franchise that no one expected to compete in this season is incredible. The upcoming NFL schedule is also going to put Daniels on a bigger stage nationally. He’s playing the 6-2 Steelers this weekend in a big game, then he’ll be on the road in Philadelphia next Thursday night for a huge game in the NFC East against the Eagles.
JAYDEN DANIELS. TERRY MCLAURIN. THE COMMANDERS.
📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bP5qrpGN8q— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024
Daniels can beat you with the short passing game, he runs very effectively, and he can obviously hit a deep ball, Hail Mary or not. He looks like the next big thing in the NFL, and he’s the answer to the prayers of Washington fans.
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