If you were a Washington Commanders fan watching the NFL playoffs over the past month, you were likely discouraged. How could the Commanders, one game from the Super Bowl last year, go 5-12 this season? Well, there were plenty of reasons, with one of them being the health of quarterback Jayden Daniels.

After winning the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Daniels missed 10 games in 2025. He had a knee injury, a hamstring injury and a dislocated elbow. He played in only seven games, finishing only four. When he did play, he was often without some of his top offensive weapons, mainly wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

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While Daniels was out, fellow 2024 first-round quarterbacks Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears), Drake Maye (New England Patriots) and Bo Nix (Denver Broncos) were the toast of the NFL. The NFL, much like everyday life, is a “what you have done for me lately” league.

Maye led the Patriots to the Super Bowl in 2025 before losing the Seattle Seahawks. Williams led the Bears to the NFC North title and the NFC Divisional Round, while Nix helped the Broncos to the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed before falling to the Patriots in the AFC Championship.

Maye had a great year after struggling as a rookie. Williams showed tremendous improvement under new coach Ben Johnson, while Nix was mostly steady again for the second straight year. When it came playoff time, Maye was horrendous in all four of New England’s games. Williams made highlight plays in both of Chicago’s games, while Nix, again, was steady.

In the playoffs, Williams lacked consistency, continuing to struggle with his accuracy, but people only remember the spectactular plays.

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Now, back to Daniels. Did we forget what Daniels did in three playoff games last January? He led the Commanders to two road wins, at Tampa Bay and at No. 1 seed Detroit, before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles in the NFC Championship. If not for his teammates continuing to fumble in that game, the score would have been much closer. Also, don’t forget that it was Daniels who gave legendary Philadelphia defensive coordinator Vic Fangio fits last season, including throwing for five touchdowns in a December win.

Anyone remember what Patrick Mahomes did against the Eagles in last year’s Super Bowl?

Oh, how soon we forget how great Jayden Daniels was.

Clutch play is one of the many elements of quarterback greatness. While Maye and Nix had two of the NFL’s top defenses in 2025, Williams was backed by a defense that forced more turnovers than any other team. Washington’s defense was abysmal in 2024. Daniels carried the Commanders on his back throughout the season, but especially in the playoffs. He didn’t receive much help from his defense. In 2025, that Washington defense was even worse.

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One of the best metrics to determine quarterback performance is ESPN’s QBR. Let’s look at the Total QBR of each of these four quarterbacks from the last two years:

Jayden Daniels: 84.2 (3 games)

Caleb Williams: 53.4 (2 games)

Drake Maye: 40.0 (4 games)

This isn’t to put down Nix, Williams, or Maye. They’re all going to be excellent NFL quarterbacks. Instead, it’s more of a way to show all of those loudmouth analysts or former NFL players on Radio Row last week “redrafting” the 2024 NFL Draft and putting Daniels behind Maye and Williams. Or, for those on X, making top-32 lists and ranking Daniels 20th.

Oh, how soon we forget.

As far as Commanders’ fans, you shouldn’t feel hopeless. You have Jayden Daniels. As long as GM Adam Peters does his best to give Daniels more help, he’ll be among the NFL’s best for years to come.

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Sure, the injuries this season were a concern, but you can’t fake what Daniels did last season. He carried his team. The others had a lot more help.

As the Commanders said on X, “turn the page” to 2026.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Super Bowl, playoffs prove Jayden Daniels worth