Bloody face didn’t stop Jayden Daniels from leading the Commanders to a comeback win

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jayden Daniels doesn’t get fazed, even when a crunching hit leaves his face bloodied.

The rookie quarterback played with poise all season to lead the Washington Commanders to a dramatic eight-win improvement from 2023 and he wasn’t going to let a little blood bother him in his biggest game yet.

He kept running around, making plays and did whatever was needed to lead Washington to the franchise’s first playoff win since he was 5 years old.

With blood dripping down his face beneath his right eye, Daniels tossed a 10-yard TD pass to Dyami Brown for a 7-3 lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers early in the second quarter of a 23-20 victory Sunday night in an NFC wild-card game.

He went to the sideline, got the gash closed up with sterile super glue and went back to work the next series.

“I didn’t know I was bleeding until they told me,” Daniels said. “I wiped it and was like, ‘Oh, I’m bleeding.’”

Daniels twice threw incomplete passes on fourth downs when coach Dan Quinn passed up short field goals. No problem.

With the game on the line, Daniels stayed cool, calm and delivered more magic to help Washington win its first playoff game since Jan. 7, 2006, a span of 6,945 days.

Daniels fired a 5-yard TD pass to Terry McLaurin on fourth-and-2, giving the Commanders a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter.

After the Buccaneers settled for a field goal that tied it despite driving to the 12, Daniels got another chance to display more late-game heroics.

He threw a 52-yard Hail Mary TD pass to beat Chicago in Week 8 and led five comeback wins after trailing in the fourth quarter during the regular season.

This time, he only needed to get the Commanders in field-goal range.

Daniels connected with Brown for 21 yards on third-and-6 from the Washington 34 to extend the final drive. On third-and-2 from the Tampa Bay 15, he eluded a tackle in the backfield and ran 4 yards for a first down that allowed the Commanders to run the clock down until Zane Gonzalez doinked a 37-yard field goal off the right upright and through as time expired for the win.

“I think you just kind of find that zone,” Daniels said about playing in pressure moments. “And you don’t hear (anything) — you just focus on your fundamentals and you focus on playing in the playoffs.”

Daniels was 24 of 35 for 268 yards and two TDs. He also ran for 36 yards and was sacked just once. He completed 9 of 15 for 108 yards and two TDs on third and fourth downs, picking up eight first downs.

The Commanders selected the Heisman Trophy winner from LSU with the No. 2 overall pick in the draft last April. He lost to the Buccaneers on the same field in his NFL debut and went on to have an impressive season that earned him a Pro Bowl selection.

But Daniels and his teammates aren’t satisfied with just getting here. They went from 4-13 to 12-5 and then became the first road team to win this season in the playoffs.

They’ll face the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions (15-2) next Saturday night in the divisional round as an 8 1/2-point underdog, according to Bet MGM Sportsbook.

Daniels won’t be overwhelmed.

“This is what he’s been doing all season,” McLaurin said. “It’s the preparation that we put in and I know people may be tired of hearing ‘winning-time moments’ but that’s real and it shows up and I think that is what the playoffs are about. You may not play the perfect game, but if you have the ball to go down there and have a chance to win the game, we trust our preparation in the moments we’ve been in this year.

“And to see Jayden continue to just get us in the right calls, execute what (offensive coordinator) Kliff (Kingsbury) is calling, showing some poise, just taking complete command of the game, complete command of the huddle, is — I’m fortunate to play with him and see how much he’s grown this year but that’s who he is. He’s been blessed with unbelievable ability, but his ability to just be ready for any moment that comes his way is, I think, definitely special for a rookie.”

Daniels is a favorite for the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. He is three wins away from hoisting the Vince Lombardi trophy.

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