Jayden Daniels shares emotional reaction to NFC Championship loss to Eagles

Quarterback Jayden Daniels entered the playoffs as the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year and then guided the Washington Commanders on a journey that included back-to-back upset wins and a trip to the NFC Championship Game. However, the Commanders' magic ran out when they suffered a crushing 55-23 defeat at the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon. 

Daniels didn't hide his disappointment while speaking with reporters after the loss. 

"Obviously, man, this sucks. This s--- sucks," Daniels said, as shared by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk and Chris Bumbaca of USA Today. "Excuse my language, but I couldn’t be prouder of the guys in the locker room. Year one, everybody not really knowing each other — rookies, doing a tremendous job bringing us in and helping us out. We all just meshed. We got to this point, but at the end of the day, we lost and it sucks. We’ll move on from this." 

Daniels did his best to remain calm and cool throughout the first three quarters of play at Lincoln Financial Field even though he faced constant pressure from a relentless Philadelphia defense. In the end, Sunday's contest was simply a tale of two teams in different places this winter. While the Commanders committed four turnovers, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and quarterback Jalen Hurts rushed for three touchdowns each in what became a blowout.

"It’s just another game for me," Daniels said about how he approached possibly being 60 minutes of action away from playing in a Super Bowl as a first-year pro. "That’s how I treated it. That’s how I treat every game. You have to go out there and earn it. You have to prove it. And even though tonight, we didn’t earn it, we believe that we belong here. Kudos to Philly and what they did. Heck of a team, and good luck to them." 

For the most part, Daniels looked like he belonged on such a massive stage despite the lopsided final score. While he was sacked three times, he completed 29-of-48 pass attempts for 255 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also contributed 48 rushing yards and a score on the ground. 

As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Commanders seventh among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. Similar to how many expected the 2024 Houston Texans would compete for more than a playoff berth after quarterback C.J. Stroud emerged as a rookie sensation, Daniels' presence should make Washington a media darling by the time 2025 preseason predictions surface this coming summer. 

"I don’t want to have a feeling like this again," Daniels added during his comments. "But you have to deal with it, you know, move on from it."

Eventually, Daniels will be able to appreciate becoming arguably the greatest rookie quarterback in NFL history. Neither he nor anybody else on the Washington roster has anything to be ashamed of on the final Monday of January.