And put a cherry-on-top of what was a historic night for him and one Washington Commanders fans won’t forget any time soon.
Daniels threw the game-winning touchdown to Zach Ertz with 2:42 left in overtime as the Commanders defeated the Atlanta Falcons 30-24 on ‘Sunday Night Football’ to clinch a wild-card berth in their quarterback’s rookie season.
Daniels now leads all rookie quarterbacks for most rushing yards in a season with 864 following his most prolific game as a runner. He had a game-high 127 yards on the ground (a new career high) on 16 attempts (7.9 yards per carry); 103 yards came in the second half and overtime.
His 16-yard scramble on third-and-2 from midfield in overtime cleared the Commanders’ path to victory, and he ran the ball three times in a row before hooking up with Ertz from 4 yards out for the win.
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In the fourth quarter, Daniels passed the previous record for a rookie signal-caller in a season, set by Robert Griffin III – who also did it with Washington – in 2012.
Daniels ran his way to the record thanks to his third straight productive game on the ground. The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner rushed for 66 yards against the New Orleans Saints and went for 81 last week against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Fans started chanting ‘MVP!’ as the Commanders were on the doorstep of scoring in overtime.
Daniels has six rushing touchdowns to go along with the 25 he’s thrown. He’s been efficient with his legs all season and entered Sunday averaging 5.76 yards per carry. There have been three games this season he rushed for 22 yards or less, and the Commanders lost all three.
‘I wanted Jayden Daniels to break my rookie rushing record because I’m not about rooting against the next generation. He EARNED IT. He is the FUTURE,’ Griffin III wrote on social media. ‘Some of these old heads need to stop drinking all that haterade (sic) and lift up these young guys instead of tearing them down.’
This story has been updated with new information.