The Washington Commanders shocked the world by upsetting the Detroit Lions 45-31 in the second round of this year’s NFL Playoffs and the driving force behind their victory was star quarterback Jayden Daniels. The LSU product is on a historical run and needs to secure one more win against the Philadelphia Eagles to reach Super Bowl LIX. Is Daniels having the greatest rookie season of all time, though? Let’s look at the numbers.
Daniels is a lock to win the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year award and it’s not hard to see why. He’s broken several significant records en route to his first playoff run. The dual-threat signal caller set a new record for rookie quarterback rushing yards (891) while also setting a record mark for rookie completion percentage (69%). Excelling as a runner and accurate passer immediately separates him from quite a few of the league’s more athletically gifted young quarterbacks.
Daniels also became the league’s second rookie quarterback to defeat his conference’s top seed in the playoffs after leading the Commanders to a 12-5 record during the regular season. Several rookie quarterbacks have made conference championships, but none have won the big game as a starter in their inaugural NFL seasons. Daniels has a chance to do just that.
The debate over whether Daniels has put together the best rookie quarterbacks season of all time is still open. However, he’ll be even closer to GOAT rookie status with each win. He’s topped the Eagles once this season and beating the quarterback who’s widely considered to be the best in the world (Patrick Mahomes) would be the cherry on top to cap off an exciting and eventful year for Daniels.
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