Washington’s ‘Terminator’ Daniels a winner away from NFL history

Jayden Daniels has already transformed the Washington Chiefs from perennial contenders to NFC Championship contenders, and on Sunday has a chance to make history and become the first rookie quarterback ever to reach the Super Bowl.

The 24-year-old Californian, taken with the second overall pick in last year’s draft, has electrified the NFL this season, becoming an instant star in a league where quarterbacks usually have to bide their time before reaching the summit.

Standing between Daniels and a trip to New Orleans for the Super Bowl are division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles, trying to return to the biggest game for the second time in three years.

The Commanders beat the Eagles 36-33 just four weeks ago, with Daniels orchestrating the game-winning drive in a game that went down to the wire.

It was a performance that marked the composed way Daniels has taken to the NFL’s high-octane environment.

“I just think, for me, football is just fun and it’s like a safe haven for me, everything that I’ve been through personally in my life, so I don’t really go out there and stress about the moment,” Daniels said Wednesday.

“Because at the end of the day, I get to do what I love.”

He produced 12 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter or overtime in the regular season – the most of any rookie quarterback this year.

– ‘The Terminator’ –

“He’s the terminator,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said this week.

“He has rare skills at the moment that have allowed us to be in this place. When it’s mental chaos going down and two minutes and in these tight moments where it could feel tight, he has the experience by someone who has played a lot more football than a first-year player,” he added.

The Commanders, formerly known as the Redskins, have long struggled to find the right man at the most important position in the game.

In the 32 years since their last Super Bowl victory, the team tried 35 different quarterbacks.

Joe Theismann, a Super Bowl winner with the team in 1982, believes Daniels’ performances are unmatched for a rookie.

“If you were to write down 10 things you want in a quarterback, he checks every box. I’m excited for him. He’s a good kid, too,” he told TMZ Sports.

The winner of the Heisman Trophy last year, awarded to the best player in college football, Daniels has made a seamless transition to the pro ranks, being named Rookie of the Year by the Professional Football Writers Association.

But while his laid-back, smiling approach has won him many admirers, quarterbacks in the NFL are judged by their numbers, and Daniels’ record is impressive.

In the regular season, he completed 331 of 480 passes, sixth best in the NFL, for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions, ranking him seventh in the NFL for quarterback rating.

He also had 148 rushing attempts for 891 yards, second most among NFL quarterbacks including six rushing touchdowns.

While the numbers don’t quite justify Theismann’s claim that Daniels should be considered for the league’s Most Valuable Player award, two more wins would put him in a whole new category.

But Daniels doesn’t get too far ahead of himself.

“It’s a blessing to make it this far in the season,” he said.

“I know countless teams will be in this position so it’s a blessing. Can’t really take it for granted but you also just have to be in the moment and take it one day at a time,” he added.

Sev/RCW