Why Jayden Daniels stands out from other rookies to make Championship Game

After beating the Detroit Lions 45-31 on Saturday night, the Washington Commanders are headed to the NFC Championship Game.

That makes Jayden Daniels the sixth rookie QB in NFL history to achieve this feat. Let's check in on where he stacks up compared to the others:

Some of the names on the list of previous rookies to make an NFL title game may be surprising ones, and the reason for that is because they were not the main reason their teams got that far. All five of them made it there on the backs of elite defenses -- top-three in the league, to be precise.

Daniels, on the other hand, is the reason Washington is in the NFC Championship Game, with a defense ranked 18th in points allowed this season. This Commanders roster was not expected to be anywhere near ready to compete for deep playoff runs. They're now one win away from a Super Bowl appearance, because a rookie has taken them there.

Daniels has certainly gotten some help on the offensive side of the ball. Terry McLaurin has gone from a very good wide receiver to an elite one this season. Zach Ertz has turned back the clock. Washington's run game is a force to be reckoned with when both Brian Robinson, Jr. and Austin Ekeler are healthy, which hasn't often been the case in 2024-25 but currently is. Then there's Dyami Brown, who has come out of nowhere to be a significant playoff contributor.

It can also be argued that their production is partially an reflection of Daniels maximizing the talent around him. When an entire offense is overachieving relative to expectations, it all traces back to the guy at the center of it all. He plays with the poise of a seasoned veteran, a dangerous trait for a player so young and naturally gifted to possess.

There is no comparison for what Daniels has done. Perhaps the only one that even comes close is when Joe Burrow took the Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl LVI in his first full season in the NFL, after losing most of his rookie year to a torn ACL -- but alas, Burrow was not a rookie. Daniels is a true first-year superstar, and he now has the chance to do what none of the other five rookies to make a championship game have done upon reaching it: win.