In the NFL, no lights are brighter than those on Sunday or Monday Night Football. The eyes of the NFL world are on the prime-time games, with coaches, executives, fans and players all watching.
You can often find players from other teams posting on social media during prime-time games, so these are opportunities for young players to make names for themselves.
During Monday night’s game between Washington and Cincinnati, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had one of the finest rookie performances in NFL history. Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown, leading the Commanders to a 38-33 win.
Neither team punted the entire game, and for Washington to pull off the upset, Daniels could not afford to make one mistake. He didn’t. Daniels saved his best work for the Commanders’ final drive, converting a fourth down and then throwing a perfect 27-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin to put the game out of reach with two minutes remaining.
On Tuesday morning, Daniels was the talk of the NFL. Every morning TV talk show discussed Daniels and every sports radio show did, too.
Peter Schrager of “Good Morning Football” perhaps said it best.
“A star is born,” Schrager said, leading off his segment on Tuesday. “And that is what I would say. And this was on national television in a hostile environment against a team that was absolutely desperate for a win. Against one of the best defensive coordinators in the league in Lou Anarumo, and the 23-year-old Jayden Daniels, in his third game as a player, set a rookie record single-game completion percentage, 91%, he completed his passes. And he led Washington to score son every single one of its drives, not including the kneeldown.
“A star is born…" – @pschrags on @JayD__5's magnificent NFL primetime debut in the @Commanders eye-opening 38-33 win 💫 pic.twitter.com/uaGhuuslE6
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 24, 2024
Schrager then proceeded to break down two plays on Washington’s game-clinching drive. First, there was the fourth down completion to tight end Zach Ertz, followed by the aforementioned touchdown pass to McLaurin.
Thanks to Daniels’ heroics, the Commanders improved to 2-1 and have a road game at Arizona next week.
