Jayden Daniels, Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders became the story of the NFL season with an unlikely Super Bowl dream | NFL News

Washington's leaders were not supposed to be here. Not now, not yet. But with their franchise quarterback in place and thriving, they are one win away from an unlikely Super Bowl appearance.

The bar was low, as it is in the NFL. The first mission was merely to escape the grim, grim realities of the Dan Snyder era, as Washington continued to ease its way into a new era of ownership under Josh Harris, who was desperate to reset and rebrand across the board.

They may have done both in just one year, with Dan Quinn successfully betting on himself to orchestrate a culture shift as the gritty candidate ready to take on the challenges that await in Washington, and Jayden Daniels putting together one of — if not the — greatest rookie seasons. The Greatest – by a quarterback in NFL history to lay the foundations for a new chapter that is not only relevant, but also controversial.

Washington entered the postseason having not won a playoff game since the 2005 season, when they ultimately lost to the Seattle Seahawks during the divisional round. They reached the playoffs just six times in 24 years under ownership by Snyder, who finally sold them in 2023 after allegations of employee sexual harassment and enabling a toxic workplace.

The Chiefs ranked 24th on offense and dead last on defense in 2023, fired head coach Ron Rivera and continued to struggle in a long-term quarterback purgatory. They find themselves among the least attractive destinations for any coach or player in the league, and yet, somehow, among the most opportunity-rich as the idea of ​​the low-floor, “it-can't-get-much-worse” life in Maryland is, from which the only way it could be higher.

They acquired Quinn after reviving his coaching career in Dallas, and used the No. 2 pick in the draft on Heisman Trophy winner Daniels. With each taking the reins, they've pushed the operation ahead of schedule with a new family environment able to overcome adversity that might have previously derailed them, and a division of contributions between an unconventional group of unknowns and veteran additions.

During the Wild Card weekend, they were able to beat Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense thanks to a last-second Zane Gonzalez field goal. And last weekend, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Daniels outlasted Ben Johnson and Jared Goff to take down the Detroit Lions, besting the hottest offense in the league and the Super Bowl favorite. Night.

Daniels' dominance accompanied Kingsbury's redemption at the heart of the Washington mission. Kingsbury's coaching credentials were in dire need of a reboot when he was fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals after four seasons (including three non-playoff seasons) in 2022, and on the back of that booked a one-way ticket to Thailand to take a break. of football before spending 2023 with Caleb Williams at USC and eventually returning to the NFL to join Quinn's staff and lead one of the best offenses in the league.

Now, I'm not sure how many The Hangover II fans are among you, but there's a scene in which Alan meditates at Bangkok's Chaeng Mei Monastery, which leads him to the next clue in their search for missing friend Teddy. I thoroughly enjoy the image of Kingsbury following suit, working his way to rediscover the answer to offensive renewal and renewal. Spoiler: He found it.

He came up with one answer after another in Saturday night's 45-31 win over the Lions, among the most important of which was his decision to connect with a 20-yard corner route completion to back up tight end John Pitts on third-and-5, keeping the drive rolling and exciting in the game with four minutes to play. Not Terry McLaurin, not Zach Ertz, not Austin Ekeler, not Diame Brown, not Olamide Zakka-John Bates, who scored just eight goals in the regular season.

Fun fact: A quick Google search for John Bates and the first picture that comes up is a character from Downtown Abbey. By the way, the Cardinals are still getting paid by Kingsbury.

“Ohhhhh,” cried Tom Brady almost grimacing at the sight of the chasm emerging in the Lions' defense as Diame Brown broke free from the scissor concept, having Kingsbury lined up in 12 personnel with both tight ends remaining in the backfield as decoy chip buffers before peeling back to the flat and in turn dissecting Level two is tough in Detroit. Then came a dose of the outside zone fake as Kingsbury used pull-up guards to start a screen run on the field side of the formation, and McLaurin did the rest on a 58-yard touchdown and escape. There were also two runners to combat Aaron Glenn's blitz with a 38-yard strike to Brown on a deep route, where Daniels produced a dime and his receiver made an equally stunning catch to set up Ertz's five-yard touchdown. Kingsbury had his way for most of the game.

But the story is Daniels. The coolest and smartest offensive pilot of the bunch, he's immune to panic in the face of chaos as he slides through progressions, commands the pocket, dunks on the best teams in the league and skates down the ice as the latest cold-blooded outside-the-hull killer.

It's the reason New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen keeps seeing the clips that surfaced of his son ordering him to try to draft Daniels during an episode of Hard Knocks. It's why the already high expectations on the shoulders of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams were magnified this year, and why the Chicago Bears were desperate to hire Lions' master offensive puppeteer Ben Johnson as their new head coach.

Daniels immediately set the tone in his NFL bracket, winning Rookie of the Month honors in September after posting the highest completion percentage over four games in league history.

In Week 8, he broke the Internet and the Bears as he paced back and forth for 12.79 seconds, long enough to spook Chicago's bottom coverage into confusion, before unleashing a Hail Mary pass that Noah Brown picked off — via some Tyreek Stevenson naivety. In Week 16, he was laughing and joking with Jalen Carter after the Eagles' defensive backs stepped back to try to catch the ball as Daniels nailed it to stop the clock with 11 seconds left, and then five seconds later he planted his feet in the pocket like a ball. The veteran left tackle to throw the go-ahead nine-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Crowder in Washington's 36-33 win over their NFC East rivals.

Daniels set new rookie records in both completion percentage and rushing yards as a quarterback as he finished the regular season 331 of 480 passing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns to just nine interceptions, along with 891 yards and six scores on 148 carries. He also became the first rookie to post over 300 offensive yards in multiple playoff games and the first with a passer rating of 100 or more in multiple playoff games.

“He's a young quarterback with a birth certificate, not a tape,” Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said this week.

“You know, the guy's playing very well. You can tell how much they think he's playing very well by the size of their offense and the things they trust him to do. He's outplayed them in a big way, and he's tough to handle.”

Beginner's obstacles were inevitable, and when they came he was a complete match for them. The Leaders' offense ranked first in EPA/play and fourth in success rate through a 5-2 start to the campaign, before falling to 18th in EPA/play and 16th in success rate from Weeks 8-12 after a three-game losing streak. against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Eagles and Cowboys, ultimately enabling Philly to take control of the division in the process.

Daniels didn't blink. Kingsbury managed to avoid collapse, and previous criticisms of him that focused largely on his scheme became outdated in the long run. While the running game dried up a bit, the Leaders responded with a ranking of eighth in EPA/playability and sixth in pass rate from Weeks 13-18. Disaster averted.

“In the NFL, that's what happens around this time. Once you get to the midway point, you figure teams out a little bit and it's not a surprise to anyone,” Andrew Wylie said at the time of the midseason slump. “We have all the confidence in the world in the coaching staff and the players. We will continue to work on it and get it done.”

Behind Daniels, they finished the campaign ranked seventh in total yards, 17th in passing, third in rushing and fifth in scoring, while also ranking fourth in third-down efficiency and fourth overall in EPA/play-action.

Ertz has insisted that they will not press the “panic button.” They didn't. Daniels never does that. Right now, there is no quarterback left in the playoffs who is playing better football than him.

On defense, Quinn has extracted production from everywhere minus the presence of a marquee name. Noah Igbinoghene saved his career as a starter after failing to hold down a spot in Miami, linebacker Bobby Wagner continues to put up elite numbers at 34 years old, and Dante Fowler Jr. just led the team with 10.5 sacks for second-best. A season into his career nearly 10 years after he was drafted, Frankie Lufo emerged as a focal point while being used as a run defender, pass rusher and in coverage on his team. Road to a career-best 8.5 sacks and his first playoff appearance in his seventh season.

Behind the resiliency, behind their two playoff victories so far, behind an unpredictable campaign and behind an extensive list of “everybody eats” contributors is a responsible, stylish and unified locker room shaped by Quinn and his staff. It culminated in Washington's first 12-win campaign since 1991, playoff victories over top-five offenses in Tampa and Detroit, and now an NFC Championship showdown with a familiar foe in Philly, whose No. 1 defense and Saquon Barkley-inspired offense awaits.

Between them, Quinn and Daniels crushed the hilarious narrative. Together, they can win this whole thing.

What's next?

It's the NFL Conference Championship on Sunday, January 26 – live Sky Sports NFL – With the Philadelphia Eagles first hosting the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game from 8 p.m., then the Chiefs take on the Bills from 11:30 p.m.

Super Bowl LIX will be held on Sunday, February 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Live on Sky Sports NFL.