Daniels completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions and added 51 rushing yards on 16 carries in the Commanders' 45-31 divisional-round win over the Lions on Saturday night.
The Commanders shocked the NFL world by going into Ford Field and emerging with a victory, and Daniels was unsurprisingly the centerpiece of that effort. The seemingly unflappable rookie set the tone for the night in the first half by leading four scoring drives that totaled 24 points, capping off two of them with touchdown passes of 58 and five yards to Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz, respectively. Daniels then filled a more subdued role in the second half but had the luxury of playing with a lead throughout, and he engineered a pair of long marches that took a total of nearly 13 minutes off the clock and culminated in Brian Robinson and Jeremy McNichols one-yard rushing touchdowns. In the process, Daniels became the first rookie in NFL history to top 300 total yards in two playoff games, and he'll look to put together a fitting encore in the NFC Championship Game against either the Rams or Eagles on Sunday, Jan. 26.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Full practice Wednesday
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Daniels (leg) practiced fully Wednesday.
Daniels didn't take the field after halftime of this past Sunday's win at Dallas, and head coach Dan Quinn told Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post afterward that leg soreness was the reason for the rookie quarterback's early exit. On Monday, Quinn added that he was "not concerned" about the issue, per Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site, and Daniels' ability to handle every practice rep Wednesday confirms as much. Daniels thus is set to start Sunday's wild-card contest at Tampa Bay, against whom he managed 184 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions on 17-for-24 passing and 16 carries for 88 yards and two scores back in Week 1.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said Monday that he's "not concerned" about the leg soreness that forced Daniels out of Sunday's 23-19 win over the Cowboys, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.
Daniels logged a precautionary exit at halftime during the Week 18 game against Dallas, but it doesn't sound like his status will be impacted at all heading into Sunday's wild-card matchup on the road at Tampa Bay. Washington's first official practice report of the week will be released Wednesday, at which point it will be revealed whether Daniels' leg soreness is still limiting him in any capacity, or whether he's already been cleared to take full reps.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Left game with leg soreness
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Daniels was feeling soreness in his leg before leaving Sunday's 23-19 win over the Cowboys at halftime, coach Dan Quinn revealed after the game, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Daniels' exit was precautionary, and there has been no indication that his availability for the wild-card round against the Buccaneers is in question. Backup Marcus Mariota led the Commanders to their 12th win of the season to secure the No. 6 seed in the NFC.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Poor finish to great regular season
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Daniels completed six of 12 passes for 38 yards and rushed four times for 27 yards before being lifted at halftime of Sunday's 23-19 win over the Cowboys.
Daniels struggled in the final appearance of an otherwise excellent regular season. Despite this weak final outing, Daniels is still the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year after throwing for 3,568 yards with a 25:9 TD:INT and tacking on a rookie quarterback record 891 rushing yards, as well as six rushing touchdowns. The Commanders trailed 9-3 when Mariota took over, but the veteran backup immediately led a touchdown drive and helped Washington come back to secure the No. 6 seed in the NFC. Daniels will look to bounce back in the wild-card round against either the Rams or Buccaneers.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Carries offense in tight victory
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Daniels completed 25 of 31 pass attempts for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns while taking 11 carries for 66 yards in Sunday's 20-19 win over New Orleans.
Daniels picked apart the opposition by completing 81 percent of his passes while using his legs to extend multiple drives in Sunday's one-point victory. The promising rookie recorded his fourth game with multiple touchdowns and no turnovers through 14 starts as a pro. As of the conclusion of this game, the 9-5 Commanders still have an outside shot at the NFC East title, so expect inspired play from Daniels against the first-place Eagles next Sunday.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Nearly 350 total yards in loss
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Daniels completed 25 of 38 passes for 275 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions while adding seven rushes for 74 yards and another score in the Commanders' 34-26 loss to the Cowboys on Sunday.
For the second time this season, Daniels' passing yardage total received a serious boost from a chunk play in a game's final seconds, as the rookie connected with Terry McLaurin for an 86-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining that closed Washington's deficit to one point at the time. Prior to that throw, Daniels had struggled against an aggressive Cowboys defense that was able to sack him on four occasions and pick him off in Dallas territory in the first half. Daniels' rushing yardage total was his highest since Week 5, while his tally through the air was his best since he threw for 326 yards against the Bears with the help of a game-winning Hail Mary in Week 8. Daniels projects to have another tough challenge on his hands when the Commanders host the Titans in a Week 13 home matchup.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Held in check in loss
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Daniels completed 22 of 32 passes for 191 yards with one touchdown and one interception while adding seven rushes for 18 yards in the Commanders' 26-18 loss to the Eagles on Thursday night. He also threw a two-point conversion pass.
Daniels salvaged his fantasy night to an extent with a five-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ertz with 28 seconds remaining and a subsequent two-point conversion pass to the veteran tight end in the back of the end zone that was originally ruled out of bounds. Prior to that, the talented rookie had scuffled through a fairly unremarkable game that also saw him evaluated for a concussion shortly before halftime and the Eagles do an effective job of limiting his rushing yards and keeping passes in front of them. The LSU product ultimately recorded at least one completion to nine different players, but only one, Austin Ekeler, tallied more than 47 receiving yards. Daniels has now seen his passing yardage drop in three consecutive games following his career-best 326-yard showing against the Bears in Week 8, although Michael Phillips of The Richmonder also reports the second overall pick had a cut on his hand that had to be glued shut at one point in the second half. Daniels now will have extra time to regroup and recover before a Week 12 home matchup against the Cowboys on Sunday, Nov. 24.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Pair of passing scores
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Daniels completed 15 of 22 passes for 209 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Sunday's 27-22 win over the Giants. He added eight rushes for 35 yards.
Daniels led the Commanders on three scoring drives in the first half, two of which he capped with passing touchdowns. He delivered a one-yard score on a short field after a Giants turnover and then ended the second quarter with an 18-yard strike -- both of which went to Terry McLaurin. The ground attack was the focus of Washington's offense throughout the game, which led to relatively modest numbers from Daniels, though he continued to produce very well on a per-attempt basis with five completions of at least 20 yards.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Good to go
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Daniels (ribs) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at the Giants, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports reports.
Daniels played through the same injury last week without any reported complications, and he's now closed out Week 9 prep with his first full practice since hurting his ribs Week 7. He shouldn't have any limitations this Sunday and remains one of the top fantasy options at his position, combining efficient passing with frequent, effective running.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Stays limited in practice
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Daniels (ribs) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.
After getting knocked out of Week 7 action against the Panthers early due to a rib injury, Daniels was able to suit up this past Sunday against the Bears and log 100 percent of the offensive snaps en route to 326 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions on 21-for-38 passing while rushing eight times for 52 yards. The performance, including a game-winning Hail Mary to WR Noah Brown, all but cleared up that he'll be OK on game days, but he'll continue to operate with a cap on his practice reps in the short term. Friday's injury report will unveil whether or not Daniels enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's road matchup with the Giants.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Limited in practice
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Daniels (ribs) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.
Daniels played through the same injury in Sunday's 18-15 win over the Bears, with no report of a setback during the game or after. His statistics didn't look especially good prior to throwing a game-winning Hail Mary, but that could have more to do with Chicago's stellar defense than Daniels' rib injury. Either way, the rookie is expected to play through the injury once again Sunday at the Giants.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Walk-off win against Bears
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Daniels completed 21 of 38 passes for 326 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in Sunday's 18-15 win over the Bears. He added eight rushes for 52 yards.
It was a mild surprise that Daniels was active after he sustained a rib injury in Week 7 and went on to practice just once in a limited capacity during the week. He still managed to be active on the ground, highlighted by a long gain of 13 yards, and he was also effective on passing attempts down the field. Daniels completed five passes of at least 20 yards with a long of 61 to Terry McLaurin that set up a field goal later in the first quarter. However, the highlight of the day came on the final play of the game, when Daniels launched a Hail Mary that landed in the arms of Noah Brown after a deflection for a 56-yard score to win the game. That padded Daniels' stat line in an unsustainable way, but he still put together a solid performance given the combination of his injury and a tough matchup against the Bears.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Confirmation on status to arrive soon
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Daniels (ribs) remains listed as questionable but will meet with team officials roughly around 12:45 p.m. ET before the Commanders confirm definitively whether or not he'll play Sunday against the Bears, Jay Glazer reported on "Fox NFL Sunday."
All reports in the past 24 hours regarding Daniels have been positive in the run-up to the Commanders' 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff. Assuming team officials are comfortable with Daniels' health coming out of his upcoming meeting, he should get the Week 8 starting nod over Marcus Mariota.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Seemingly trending toward playing
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Daniels (rib), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's contest against the Bears, looks to be tracking toward playing, but the team will need to see how he feels during pregame warmups before deciding on his status, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Daniels took the field for just one possession in last Sunday's win over the Panthers due to a rib injury that kept him from practicing Wednesday and Thursday. He returned to the field Friday as a limited participant, and he said after the session that he felt good and wanted to play against the Bears. The decision ultimately won't be Daniels' alone, with the coaching staff as well as the Commanders' medical team likely to make a call on whether he'll play based on how he looks while warming up Sunday. Daniels' status won't be confirmed until about 90 minutes before the 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, when Washington posts its inactive list. If Daniels ends up sitting out, Marcus Mariota will make his first start of the season.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Practices, may be game-time call
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Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said that Daniels (ribs) was able to practice in a limited capacity Friday, and a decision on the quarterback's availability for Sunday's game against the Bears will be made "over the next 48 hours," Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Quinn said Daniels was able to handle team drills Friday after taking part in core and strength work, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. The rookie No. 2 overall pick missed practice Wednesday and Thursday after a rib injury forced him out of Washington's win over Carolina in Week 7, but despite not being spotted at the early portion of Friday's practice, Daniels seems to have made significant on-field progress. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network confirms that Friday's injury report will list Daniels as a limited participant at practice, and the rookie phenom also will be listed as questionable and considered a game-time decision for Sunday's contest. Marcus Mariota will be in line to start if Daniels can't go.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Still not practicing
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Daniels (ribs) officially didn't practice Thursday.
Daniels didn't see any game action after the first possession of this past Sunday's win against the Panthers due to a rib issue. On Monday, coach Dan Quinn termed Daniels "week-to-week," per Ben Standig of The Athletic, but there's been hope along the way that he'd be able to suit up for a Week 8 matchup against the Bears. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Thursday that the Commanders plan for Daniels to take the practice field Friday, so his ensuing listing on the team's injury report may give a sense of his chances to suit up this weekend.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Absent from practice Thursday
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Daniels (ribs) is not present for the early portion of Thursday's practice open to the media, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Daniels is missing a second consecutive due to a ribs injury sustained Week 7, with Adam Schefter of ESPN noting that the Commanders plan for the rookie No. 2 overall pick to attempt to handle some reps Friday. Washington hasn't yet officially made a decision on whether Daniels will suit up for Sunday's upcoming matchup against the Bears and rookie No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, but if he can't gain clearance for Week 8, Marcus Mariota will be in line to draw the start.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Set for further testing on ribs
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Daniels (ribs) will undergo further testing Monday on the injury that forced him out of Sunday's 40-7 win over the Panthers, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.
Head coach Dan Quinn didn't have an immediate update on Daniels' status after the game, though the quarterback was in good spirits and celebrating with teammates after the game. Washington kept rolling right along with backup quarterback Marcus Mariota after Daniels' absence, but clarity on which quarterback is likely to start against the Bears in Week 8 won't be provided until the results of Daniels' tests Monday are revealed.
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Commanders' Jayden Daniels: Ruled out Sunday
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Daniels won't return to Sunday's game versus the Panthers due to a rib injury.
After a 46-run to kick off the Commanders' first possession, Daniels was seen grabbing at his midsection until the team was set up for a successful Austin Seibert field-goal attempt. Daniels then got examined on the bench and in sideline tent before going to the locker room, where the CBS broadcast reported that he was undergoing X-rays. After halftime, he rejoined his teammates on the sideline in street clothes, ending Week 7 with six yards on 2-for-2 passing and three carries for 50 yards. Marcus Mariota will direct Washington's offense for as long as Daniels may be sidelined.
