Washington Commanders Rookie Quarterback made history during a spectacular rookie season. He was the third rookie quarterback since 1935 to win 12+ games in their rookie campaign. He joined Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Dak Prescott as the only other quarterbacks with such successful rookie seasons. Roethlisberger went 13-1 and advanced to the AFC Championship Game where he was bested by the Brady-Belichick New England Patriots. Prescott went 13-3 and lost a home playoff game to the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers.
Daniels had a great rookie season in his own right finishing 16th in passing yards, tied for 10th in passing touchdowns, and 4th in QBR. He battled through a rib injury in the middle part of the season but got back on track down the homestretch of the regular season. Daniels’ great season nearly guarantees he will be named Offensive Rookie of the Year in a few weeks. Will Daniels be able to keep up his level of play as the Washington Commanders prepare for the NFL Playoffs?
Washington Commanders Season Summary
.@Commanders got themselves a good one 🙌 pic.twitter.com/wX4UnLueNX
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) January 6, 2025
Washington finished the regular season 12-5 and clinched the No. 6 seed in the NFC. First-year Head Coach Dan Quinn worked wonders with a Commanders team expected to improve, but not to this extent, this quickly. Daniels led one of the league’s best offenses during the regular season. They were seventh in yards per game and fifth in points scored. Daniels, when healthy this year, was also a dynamic rushing threat.
Washington’s defense, oversaw by Quinn, vastly improved this year. They were 13th in yards surrendered and 18th in points allowed. The Commanders are entering the NFL Playoffs as hot as any team in the league winners of five straight games. Their defense has surrendered 22.8 points per game over the winning streak. Both sides of the ball are seemingly rounding into form at the best time.
Final Thoughts
The Washington Commanders visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round on Sunday. These teams faced off in Tampa in Week 1, Daniels’ first career start. Tampa Bay won 37-20 as Daniels finished with 272 total yards and 2 total touchdowns. With the game played over four months ago, not much can be gleaned from the result. Daniels will look to lead the Washington Commanders to their first playoff victory since 2005. It is a new era in the “Nation’s Capital” with Daniels at the helm.
