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

Washington's commanders were not supposed to be here. Not now, not yet. But with their all-conquering franchise quarterback found and thriving, they are one win away from the most improbable Super Bowl performance.

The bar was as low as it gets in the NFL. Task one was just to escape the dark and grim reality of Dan Snyder's reign as Washington continued to ease its way into a new era of ownership under Josh Harris, desperate to reset and rebrand across the board.

Both could be accomplished in just one year, Dan Quinn successfully betting on himself to orchestrate a cultural transformation as a bold candidate ready to face the challenges ahead in Washington, and Jayden Daniels conjuring one of the greatest rookie seasons — if not the greatest – by a quarterback in NFL history to set the stage for a new chapter of not just importance, but contention.

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 the ownership of Snyder, who was finally sold in 2023 after allegations of sexual harassment and fostering a toxic workplace.

The Commanders ranked 24th in offense and dead last in defense in 2023, firing head coach Ron Rivera and continuing to suffer in their long-term state of quarterback purgatory. They were among the most unattractive destinations for any coach or player in the league, yet somehow among the richest opportunities such was the low floor and 'can't get much worse' notion of life in Maryland, from which the only way out could be worse.

They acquired Quinn after a resurgent coaching career in Dallas, and used the No. 2 pick in the draft for Heisman Trophy winner Daniels. With both at the helm, they catapulted the proceedings ahead of schedule with a newfound family environment capable of overcoming adversity that might have previously derailed them, and splitting contributions between a funky ensemble of unsung goods and veteran additions.

They held off Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense on Wild Card weekend thanks to a last-second field goal by Zane Gonzalez. They got the better of the league's top offense and a solid Super Bowl favorite last weekend as offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Daniels outplayed Ben Johnson and Jared Goff to eliminate the Detroit Lions, the latter's turnovers also playing a role in the night.

Daniels' dominance followed Kingsbury's redemption at the center of Washington's charge. Kingsbury's coaching credentials were in desperate need of a reboot when he was fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals after four (including three non-playoff seasons) in 2022, on the back of which he booked a one-way ticket to Thailand to take a break from football before who spent 2023 with Caleb Williams at USC and eventually returned 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 of you are fans of The Hangover II, but there is a scene where Alan is meditating in Bangkok at the Ching Mei Monastery, leading him to the next clue in their search for their lost friend Teddy. I quite enjoy the image of Kingsbury following suit, humming his way to rediscovering the answer to offensive reinvention and renovation. Spoiler: he found it.

He came up with answer after answer in Saturday's 45-31 win over the Lions, the highlight being his decision to complete a 20-yard corner to back up tight end John Bates on third-and-5, keeping the drive swinging and a tight game with four minutes left. Not Terry McLaurin, not Zach Ertz, not Austin Ekeler, not Dyami Brown, not Olamide Zaccheaus – John Bates, who had just eight catches in the regular season.

Fun fact: A quick Google search for John Bates and the first image that pops up is the character from Downtown Abbey. Kingsbury, by the way, is still being paid by the Cardinals.

'Ohhhhh' exclaimed a nearly grimacing Tom Brady at the sight of the abyss in the Lions defense as Dyami Brown broke free from the scissor concept, Kingsbury lined up in 12 personnel, and both tight ends stayed in the backfield as chip blockers for decoys before goes out to the apartment and in turn dissects the second level of Detroit. Then came a dose of the fake outside zone as Kingsbury used the running backs to run a screen play on the side of the formation while McLaurin did the rest on his 58-yard touchdown catch-and-run. There was also aggression in Aaron Glenn's 38-yard blitz to Brown on a deep route, Daniels produced a dime and his receiver made a stunning catch for good measure to set up Ertz's five-yard touchdown. Kingsbury had his way for most of the game.

However, the story is Daniels. The brightest, brightest offensive pilot on the block, immune to panic in the face of chaos as he glides through his progressions, manages the pocket, dunks the league's best teams and slaloms as the latest ice-cold out-of-structure assassin.

He's the reason New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen will insist on seeing again clips of his son instructing him to try to draft Daniels during an episode of Hard Knocks. He's the reason the already high expectations on the shoulders of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams have been heightened this year, and why the Chicago Bears were desperate to hire Lions offensive puppet master Ben Johnson as their new head coach.

Daniels immediately set the tone for his NFL bow, winning Offensive Rookie of the Month in September while recording the highest completion percentage through four games in league history.

In Week 8, he broke the Internet and the Bears as he raced back and forth for 12.79 seconds, long enough to scare Chicago's pass coverage, before launching a Hail Mary touchdown pass that was caught by Noah Brown — thanks to some naiveté by Tyrique Stevenson. In Week 16, he laughed and joked with Jalen Carter after the Eagles defensive tackle jumped to try to catch the ball as Daniels threw the ball to stop the clock with 11 seconds left, five seconds after which he planted his feet in the pocket like a seasoned veteran thrower 9-yard touchdown pass to Jameson Crowder in Washington's 36-33 win over NFC East rivals.

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

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

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

Rookie obstacles were inevitable, and when they came, he was a match for them. The Commanders offense ranked first in EPA/game and fourth in passing rate in their 5-2 start to the campaign, before falling to 18th in EPA/game and 16th in passing rate from weeks eight through 12 after three-game losing streak against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Eagles and Cowboys, finally allowing Philly to take control of the division in the process.

Daniels didn't blink. And Kingsbury avoided a collapse, earlier criticism of him focusing on his scheme becoming stale down the stretch. Although the running game dried up a bit, the Commanders responded by ranking eighth in EPA/play and sixth in completion rate from Weeks 13-18. Disaster averted.

“In the NFL, it happens around this time. When you get to the middle, teams figure it out a little bit and you're not a surprise to anybody,” Andrew Wylie said at the time of their midseason slump. “We have all the confidence in the world in the staff and the players. We will continue to call 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/game.

Ertz insisted he wasn't going to hit the 'panic button.' They didn't. Daniels never does. And right now, no quarterback left in the playoffs is playing better football than him.

Defensively, Quinn got production from all over minus the presence of shopping names. Noah Igbinoghene saved his career as a starting cornerback after failing to hold down a spot in Miami, linebacker Bobby Wagner continues to put up elite numbers at age 34, Dante Fowler Jr just led the team with 10.5 sacks in his second-best season career nearly 10 years since he was drafted, and Frankie Luvu has emerged as a focal point as he has been used as a run defender, pass rusher and reporter on his way to the top 8.5 career sacks and first playoff appearance in his seventh season.

Behind the resiliency, behind their two playoff wins so far, behind the unpredictable campaign and behind the huge 'everyone eats' menu of contributors is a responsible, friendly and united locker room formed by Quinn and his staff. It culminated in Washington's first 12-win campaign since 1991, playoff wins over top-five offenses in Tampa and Detroit and now an NFC Championship showdown with familiar foe Philadelphia, whose No. 1 defense and Saquon Barkley-inspired offense await.

Between them, Quinn and Daniels destroyed the narrative for ridicule. Together, we could beat this whole thing.

what's next

The NFL Conference Championships are Sunday, January 26 – live Sky Sports NFL – with the Philadelphia Eagles first hosting the Washington Commanders in the NFC title game at 8:00 p.m., then the Chiefs taking over at 11:30 p.m.

Super Bowl LIX takes place on Sunday, February 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, live on Sky Sports NFL.