It was a comeback even Ron Jaworski was awed by, as he watched his Eagles lose 36-33 to the Commanders in a game where they forced five turnovers and were up 13 going into the fourth, but also let Jayden Daniels throw five touchdown passes, the last one in the final 10 seconds of the game.
“To put up 22 in the 4th quarter, with the game on the line, against the most talented defense in the league, that says it all,” Jaws told BMitch & Finlay Monday. “What a performance yesterday, what a great football game, and I’m sure everyone is happy. The Eagles scored 33 points, took the ball away five times, controlled the ball for 36 minutes and 18 seconds…and they lost the game. That shows the great resilience that the Washington Commanders have right now.”
And double that for Daniels, who threw a pick in his own territory with just over three minutes left…but, after the Eagles went three and field goal on the ensuing drive, he marched 57 yards in 1:52 of game time ahead of the game-winning TD pass to Jamison Crowder.
“You may recollect what I said about him in the first meeting between the Eagles and the Commanders earlier this season, that I thought he was the best young quarterback I have ever seen, and I know that's a bold statement, maybe outlandish,” Jaws said, “but I saw something very special in him. That first game, he didn't play well because he was injured, he had the rib problem and it was obvious, so I knew it wasn't the kind of performance you'd expect to see out of Jayden, but he come back this week and he made plays. He made mistakes, but he has one of the great attributes that all quarterbacks must have, and that is amnesia – when things aren't going well, you got to forget about it and not let it linger.”
Jaws dissected the TD pass to Terry McLaurin that showed how Daniels can ad lib, and thought the touchdown to Crowder was the best play of the game (not just because of the timing) because it was a ‘great anticipation throw and a terrific route by Crowder.’
Just two of many great plays Daniels made against ‘arguably the best defense in the NFL on a 10-game winning streak,’ and further proof Jayden is special.
“You have to throw the football before receivers are open – if the receiver sees the ball in your hand, it's too late. You must anticipate the throw, get the ball out of your hand so that receiver turns, the ball is already in the air; that means you have precise timing and rhythm in the passing game, and we've seen that from Jayden ad nauseum this season,” Jaws said. “You got a good young quarterback, so you know you got the future of bright for a decade with Jayden Daniels.”
Listen to Jaws’ entire call-in above, as he also goes into the Commanders’ struggles in the run game and how to fix it or add to it, the Dan Quinn influence on the team, and more!