The Washington Commanders are 60 minutes away from their first appearance in the NFC Championship Game in 33 years, the same 1991 season in which the franchise secured its third Super Bowl.
It's been a string of back-to-back years since then, with just seven playoff appearances – with just three wins – spanning the three decades since.
Last season, the team finished 4-13, which secured them the No. 2 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and how grateful they were.
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By selecting quarterback Jayden Daniels from LSU, the new sensation completely changed the fortunes of this fading NFL force and made them relevant, made them contenders again.
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Watch Jayden Daniels' best plays from his historic performance against the Cincinnati Bengals where he set the NFL rookie completion percentage record with 91.3
Daniels is practically a frontrunner for the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year at the end of the season, finishing the regular season with 3,568 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and just nine interceptions to his name, along with a massive 891 yards and six more scores.
There have been some huge highs along the way, none more so than when the 24-year-old sent the league into a frenzy with a miraculous Hail Mary touchdown to see the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears as time expired in Week 8.
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Washington Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels throws incredible 'Hail Mary' touchdown to Noah Brown as time runs out to seal stunning win over Chicago Bears
With zeros on the clock and the Commanders trailing 15-12, Daniels raced back and forth from his own half before finally making a desperate run toward the end zone, where the ball bounced off a crowd of players and into the grateful hands of a wide-open Noah Brown. for a 52-yard walk-off touchdown.
Daniels held the ball for 12.79 seconds on the play leading up to the touchdown, marking the first touchdown pass with a throw time over 10 seconds since the 2016 Next Gen stat began.
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Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders highlights from Week 8 of the NFL season
“It's like a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Daniels said at the time, as the incredible finish drew quite a response in Sky Sports studio.
“If J-Bell (Jason Bell) is speechless, that's a problem!” laughed Super Bowl-winning defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. “They can build as a team on this.
“Remember Odell Beckham Jr.'s big catch in New York, as J-Bell mentioned, this could be huge and monumental for this organization if they continue to ride this wave.”
And ride that wave that the commanders did. After a three-game skid in the middle of the season that briefly threatened their playoff hopes, Daniels led the team on a five-game winning streak to book their spot in the postseason … which he just extended to six with another hugely impressive showing in his debut in the playoffs.
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Highlights of Washington Commanders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers on NFL Wild Card Weekend
Daniels threw for 268 yards and two scores in a 23-20 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wild Card Weekend, but what was most impressive was the fact that the team trailed in the fourth quarter while he helped orchestrate the game-winning drive in the final four and a half minutes with the team tied. Unexcited and unexcited.
“Sure, it's not a one-man game, but Jayden Daniels is a big reason for the turnaround in Washington,” Sky Sports' Neil Reynolds said on the latest episode of the Inside The Huddle podcast.
“Det's heart rate barely increased or decreased during three hours of a playoff game. That's why Washington has won six straight, and the last five have been decided in the final minute.
“You don't want to live that way all the time, but when you have a kid who's not afraid to be in that environment, that's something — especially now that you're going to a really tough place, Detroit, in the playoffs.”
Former Buffalo Bills coach Phoebe Schecter added, “This young man plays like a veteran, like a pro.
“It's very rare that we've seen a rookie come in and do something like this — even if you look at how CJ Stroud played (for the Houston Texans) last year. There are levels of how he was and what Jayden Daniels is like.
“His ability to extend the game and the moment is never too big for him.
“You watch the game last week against the Bucs, he's cool as a cucumber.
“The game against the Lions, the stage won't be too big for him. I think it will be challenging … but he just loves what he does.”
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Speaking on the Inside The Huddle podcast, Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold say how impressed they are with the Detroit Lions
That's really the next challenge facing Daniels and this team, and the sixth-seeded Commanders now head to Detroit to face the NFC's top-ranked Lions, who are looking to make two consecutive NFC Championship appearances.
The Lions have lost just two games all season and are heavy favorites for Saturday's clash – live on Sky Sports NFL from 1.15am in the early hours of Sunday morning – but they take the commanders, and especially Daniels, very seriously.
“He's dangerous; he's a big threat,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Daniels. “He doesn't play the position like a rookie quarterback.” He makes a difference.
“You can tell he understands how to run that offense and what they're asking him to do. And he's got guns. I mean, boy, they've got guns.”
Detroit also has plenty of guns, mind you. This is the NFL's top-ranked team on offense, giving up a massive 33.2 points per game, while their 409.5 yards per game are second only to the Baltimore Ravens' incredible 424.9 average.
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Check out the Detroit Lions' best tricks of the 2024 NFL season, including Jared Goff's touchdown catch, lateral pass and even fake fumble
The Lions are many people's Super Bowl favorites and the general consensus is that Daniels' nice little rookie run ends there. Not that he listens to that noise.
“I'm kind of staying in my own bubble right now, focusing on what's next,” Daniels said ahead of the Divisional Round matchup with the Lions.
“We will not give up until the clock strikes zero. We will fight to the end.”
Watch the Washington Commanders take on the Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round of the Play-Offs, live on Sky Sports NFL in the early hours of Sunday morning, kick-off at 1.15am.