Jayden Daniels has drawn comparisons to the legendary Slinging Sammy Baugh. In his playoff debut with the Commanders, Daniels achieved a remarkable milestone that had not been reached by any quarterback in the NFL since Baugh’s time during the team’s inaugural season in Washington in 1937.
In a thrilling game against Tampa Bay on Sunday night, Daniels led his team to a narrow 23-20 victory by throwing two touchdown passes. This accomplishment placed him among a select group of rookie quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era, joining the ranks of Russell Wilson, Mark Sanchez, and Joe Flacco, who also won a road playoff start. However, Daniels didn’t just secure a victory; he threw for 268 yards and led the team in rushing with 38 yards. This achievement made him the first rookie in NFL history to lead his team in both passing and rushing yards in a playoff win. In doing so, he mirrored Baugh, being one of two rookie quarterbacks to throw at least two touchdown passes in a road playoff victory, with Baugh having thrown three in the 1937 NFL Championship against the Chicago Bears.
Daniels’ performance this season has been impressive, recording 13 wins in total between the regular season and playoffs—just one shy of Ben Roethlisberger’s rookie record set in 2004. His ability to perform under pressure is noteworthy, as he has led five fourth-quarter comebacks. With a passer rating of 117.3 when facing either a tie or an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter or overtime, he currently ranks first among 233 quarterbacks who have made at least 50 attempts in those situations since 1991.
Moreover, under Daniels, this marks the third game where the Commanders did not commit a turnover or punt, a feat previously accomplished only twice in playoff history by Josh Allen and Peyton Manning.
In his inaugural coaching season, head coach Dan Quinn has injected optimism into Washington’s franchise. Taking over a team that previously only had four wins, Quinn has propelled the Commanders into the divisional round. His immediate success speaks to the potential for franchises undergoing coaching changes, as recent history shows a trend of turnarounds in the NFL. Quinn’s accomplishment marks him as the ninth coach in a decade to reach the divisional round in their first full season with a team. Notably, 2022 also saw first-year coaches like Brian Daboll and Doug Pederson lead their teams to the same stage.
As for the AFC divisional round, it has a sense of déjà vu this season with the familiar appearance of Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore, and Houston. This marks only the second time in which four teams from a conference have made consecutive appearances in the divisional round, differing only in the matchups as the Chiefs are set to face the Texans while the Bills will host the Ravens this year.
Mike Tomlin and his Pittsburgh Steelers faced another early playoff exit after a 28-14 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens, marking their sixth consecutive playoff loss—placing Tomlin in rare company in terms of postseason struggles. Tomlin now shares the second-longest postseason losing streak in NFL history alongside notable coaches like Marty Schottenheimer and Jim Mora, only one shy of Marvin Lewis’s infamous streak with Cincinnati. These playoff games have largely lacked competitiveness for the Steelers, as they haven’t managed to lead in any of these losses since the 2016 AFC title game.
On the defensive side, the Houston Texans have stood out this season by frustrating opposing quarterbacks. Their defense held Josh Allen to a low completion rate and intercepted Jared Goff multiple times before forcing Justin Herbert into an exceptionally poor performance. Herbert’s four interceptions this past Saturday surpassed his previous total from the regular season, highlighting the Texans’ dominance in defensive situations. With ten interceptions over two encounters against Goff and Herbert, the Texans are making their mark, enabling them to again reach the divisional round with quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stroud has now joined an elite group of quarterbacks who have won playoff games in their first two seasons.
