Mike Tirico thinks Jayden Daniels' ability to lead is what has made his rookie season special

Jayden Daniels takes the Sunday Night Football stage for the first time this weekend, giving Mike Tirico his first chance to watch Jayden from the press box.

But from what he’s seen on film and on television coverage so far, Washington has the real deal.

“I'm sure we'll make Jayden front and center one of the big star stories of the night, but you should when you're the Heisman winner, the No. 2 pick, and you've come into the league and had an Offensive Rookie of the Year season, right? That’s win, win, win,” Tirico said. “I go back to the notes that we had from our meeting with Dan Quinn before the preseason game that we did, which was the last preseason game and Jayden didn't play, about just how comfortable they were with him, and how the discovery phase has turned into the reality of his performance. When you look at all the things that they were pointing to, it was the ability to not just lead by throwing the football and performing, but have the personality of a leader, to be able to handle the spotlight, to take all of this in and thrive. He’s done that, and I think you see that in the biggest moments of the season.”

Of course, Tirico called back to the Hail Jayden against the Bears as an example, but then Daniels did it again last weekend against Philadelphia.

“Last week, it's an entire drive, not just one big play. It’s the poise, it's the calm, it's the way he's handling it, it's the recognition from the vets,” Tirico said. “I always think when you have a young quarterback, read closely what the vets say – is it pablum or is it really legit stuff? There’s a lot of anecdotal that you're seeing and hearing from vets about this guy. He's the real deal, and when you get a quarterback like that, it changes everything in your organization. Jayden Daniels has done that in Year 1, and it doesn't mean it's gonna grow perfectly for five or 10 years, but it's got a great chance to, and he's got a great chance to take them to the playoffs.”

And when they get there?

“It's one of those teams with a defensive coach like Dan Quinn, guys who can come up with turnovers, and a rookie quarterback who is in the playoffs for the first time, you just don't know,” Tirico said. “This guy so far has been good enough that if you play a No. 2 seed, maybe Philadelphia again, they'll have their attention truly focused on we could lose this game at home to a good Washington team. No doubt about that.”