NFL Week 17 Power Rankings: Commanders’ Jayden Daniels has his signature moment; Eagles drop out of top 5

All the young NFL quarterbacks have their signature moments at some point, a play or a drive that shows off their talent and screams to the rest of the league that they are destined for special things.

Jayden Daniels had his moment Sunday.

The rookie quarterback for the Washington Commanders beat the Chicago Bears earlier this season on a Hail Mary, but that’s essentially an accident, not a moment. Any quarterback with a big arm is capable of that.

What we saw him do Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles is different. It’s career defining. It’s essentially sending out a loud message to the rest of the NFL that they will have to deal with him for at least the next decade.

The Commanders beat the Eagles, 36-33, thanks to a 9-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left. He started that drive at his own 43-yard line with 1:52 left and promptly led the Commanders to the victory.

Daniels threw five touchdown passes, and he did it against an Eagles defense that had been dominant over the course of their 10-game winning streak heading into Sunday. In addition to the five touchdown passes, he also led the Commanders with 81 yards rushing.

Daniels is the first rookie quarterback to throw for five or more touchdowns and rush for 65 or more yards in a single game in NFL history.

The clutch gene, which all great quarterbacks have, is what makes him special. He never seems to get rattled. On a fourth-and-11 in the third quarter, he ran for 29 yards and a big first down. Before Sunday’s game, I said on our pre-game show that the Eagles game would be a proving game for Daniels and the Commanders.

It was for both in a big way, The Commanders, who are up to eighth in my Power Rankings this week, are 10-5 with two games to play. It’s unlikely they will catch the Eagles to win the NFC East, but they served notice that they will be a tough out come playoff time — no matter…

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Author : Pete Prisco

Publish date : 2024-12-24 10:00:00

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