Commanders' Dan Quinn says he's never seen a rookie like Jayden Daniels

Quarterback Jayden Daniels was already the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winner before he guided the Washington Commanders to upset playoff victories at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and at the top-seeded Detroit Lions. 

Following Washington's 45-31 divisional-round win in Detroit on Saturday night, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated asked Commanders head coach Dan Quinn if he’d ever seen a rookie perform as Daniels has since this past September. 

"No," Quinn directly responded. "The poise in these moments, when it’s the hardest, he’s literally at his best. That to me is really cool." 

Daniels outplayed Detroit's Jared Goff, who has a Super Bowl appearance on his resume, at a raucous Ford Field in front of a prime-time television audience. In total, the second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft connected on 22-of-31 pass attempts for 299 yards with two touchdowns. Daniels also finished with 51 rushing yards and zero turnovers en route to leading his club to the upcoming NFC Championship Game against the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.

"He’s got 'it,'" Quinn said about Daniels. "He’s the X factor." 

According to ESPN stats, Daniels leads the NFL playoffs with an 86.8 adjusted QBR, 46 total pass completions, 567 passing yards and four touchdown passes (tied with two others). Audacy's Nick Kostos is among those who have recently referred to Daniels as "the best quarterback in the NFC." 

It's possible, if not likely, that Daniels will be the best quarterback at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field this Sunday. Jalen Hurts of the Eagles was visibly slowed by an injury to his left leg during his club's 28-22 win over the Los Angeles Rams, and it seems unlikely Hurts will be fully healthy for the matchup against Washington. 

Nevertheless, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Commanders as 5.5-point underdogs against the Eagles on Monday morning. During his chat with Breer, Quinn indicated that Daniels and Co. will do well to ignore any and all outside noise throughout the midweek. 

"This is a really tough-minded group," Quinn added. "Other people might count us out, but we have a lot of belief in one another -- that’s the A, No. 1 top-of-the-pile thing. Their belief in themselves and one another, that commitment and connection, really comes through." 

Such belief could have Daniels just two wins away from going down as arguably the greatest rookie in NFL history.