Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn wanted to play all his top guys in pursuit of locking up the sixth seed. Once rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a left leg issue, those plans quickly changed.
This wasn’t Daniels’ best afternoon at the office. The signal-caller was under constant duress, couldn’t get into a rhythm, and the timing of his throws wasn’t up to his typical standard. All that became insignificant when a hit left the No. 2 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft going into the medical tent for further evaluation.
Daniels got checked over and came back into the game to finish the first half. Once the dual-threat weapon was assessed at the interval, the Commanders opted to take him out of the firing line.
It was the right call to make. There is no price on playoff seeding if Daniels isn’t there to spearhead Washington’s quest to impose themselves on the knockout stages. Taking away any risk of causing unnecessary damage trumped any positive result.
The Heisman Trophy winner watched from the sidelines as Marcus Mariota took center stage. He sparked the Commanders’ offense into life, coming through in the clutch and finding Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin for the walk-off touchdown with just two seconds remaining to cement their sixth spot in the NFC
