BURSTAnd your offensive rookie of the year is — drum roll, please — Jayden Daniels.
The Washington Commanders rookie was already one of the favourites to bring home the award, but after his performance in Week 16, it’s time to engrave his name.
Daniels led the Commanders to a 36-33 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with five touchdown passes and 84 yards on the ground.
Yes, it came against an Eagles team that lost its starting QB, Jalen Hurts, in the first quarter due to a concussion and had to rely on Kenny Pickett. But Philadelphia’s defence is no joke, and Daniels diced them up all game long.
He became just the third QB in NFL history to have five-plus passing TDs and 75-plus rushing yards in a game, and led a clinical 57-yard game-winning drive in the final two minutes to give the Commanders a statement win.
“Those types of situations when it’s on thin ice and plays need to be made, that’s what you live for,” Daniels said of the game-winning drive. “If you really love this sport, you live for those big-time moments where it comes down to the end.”
There were some shaky moments, as he did throw two interceptions. But as he’s proved all season long, he has the mental toughness to overcome mistakes and continue to make big plays in crunch time.
The Commanders are essentially a lock for the playoffs now, and as they proved Sunday, can beat any team on any day.
But even if their playoff run ends in a first-round exit, Washington fans have to feel good knowing they’ve, at long last, found the face of their franchise.
Here are some other takeaways from the third-last week of the NFL season.
Lions, Vikings headed for collision course
With the Eagles loss, it appears to be a two-horse race for the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
The Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings each improved to 13-2 with a win on Sunday, a record that would more often than not be good enough to lock up a first-round bye. But not this season, not the way these two divisional rivals have ran through their opponents.
The Lions dismantled the struggling Chicago Bears on Sunday, and even pulled out the ol’ fake-trip-then-throw-a-TD trick play. Even with their defence severely banged up, the Lions O is so good it might not matter.
Meanwhile, the Vikings continue to silence the doubters at every turn, with their latest triumph a tough win on the road against the Seattle Seahawks.
Unfortunately, only one can end up with the division crown, and the other is going to be the NFC’s fifth seed which means starting the playoffs on the road.
That makes the stakes for the looming Week 18 clash between the two clubs that much higher.
The Lions could lock up the one seed in week 17 with a win and a Vikings loss, and Minnesota does have a tough test against the Green Bay Packers.
But if the football gods are just, we’ll get a game at Ford Field for all the marbles.
Penix gives the Falcons life
The Atlanta Falcons defence was clearly excited about the team’s quarterback change.
Michael Penix Jr. took over behind centre for the struggling Kirk Cousins, and the defence decided to lighten his load.
In a 34-7 thumping of the putrid New York Giants, the Falcons D chipped in with two pick-sixes to give the rookie a nice cushion to work with.
It was the perfect confidence builder for the No. 8 overall pick in this year’s draft. Penix’s numbers on Sunday won’t wow anyone, as he finished 18-of-27 for 202 yards and one interception that should’ve been caught by tight end Kyle Pitts.
But the rookie showed poise, and the offence looked significantly better than it did over the past few weeks with Cousins at the helm.
A big reason why was Penix’s ability to limit the negative plays that plagued the veteran Cousins. Aside from the one interception, that once again should not be blamed on him, Penix took care of the ball and also didn’t take a sack.
“He went out and played almost flawless football,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said of his rookie QB. “He kept the game really clean.”
Yes it was the Giants, and yes the pressure is only going to ratchet up, but all of a sudden the Falcons seem rejuventated.
The Falcons got even more pep in their step later in the day, as the Dallas Cowboys upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to close out the Sunday slate. The Falcons and Bucs are now tied atop the NFC South at 8-7, but because Atlanta already swept the season series with Tampa, they now control their own playoff destiny.
Penix’s playoff debut could very well be on the horizon, too.
Bengals making things interesting
Don’t count the Cincinnati Bengals out just yet.
For a team that came into the season with Super Bowl aspirations, it’s been a disappointing year in Cincinnati.
But after a 24-6 win over the Browns on Sunday, the Bengals have now won three in a row and the door to their playoff chances has creaked open.
They’ll need some help, but thankfully they can stengthen their own case in a big way next week with a win over the Denver Broncos — the exact team they’re trying to track down for the AFC’s final wild-card spot.
But even if they win that game, they’ll still need to win their final game of the season and for the Broncos lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18.
It’s a lot, yes. But if it weren’t for the Bengals record, Joe Burrow would almost certainly be in the MVP conversation, that’s how good he’s playing right now.
“(Expletive) looked like Superman when he threw it,” Bengals WR Tee Higgins told reporters when asked about Burrow’s diving TD throw against the Browns. “I’m calling him Superman from this point forward.”
So, if they do in fact get in, Superman and the Bengals won’t be an easy out.
Rams get early Christmas present
The Los Angeles Rams must’ve been on Santa’s nice list, because everything went their way in Week 16.
Not only did they beat the New York Jets to improve to 9-6, but the other three members of the NFC West all lost, which significantly improved the Rams’ playoff chances.
For a team that started 1-4, the Rams now are in complete control of the NFC West division and finish with two home games against the Arizona Cardinals and Seahawks.
Even 1-1 over their last two should be enough to get the Rams into the post-season, and with Matthew Stafford at QB and Sean McVay as the coach, they’re officially a team none of the top NFC teams want to see in January.
Just ask Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“I do not want the Rams,” St. Brown said earlier this week on the St. Brown Podcast when talking about potential playoff matchups.
Quick Hits
• The Buffalo Bills avoided a disastrous loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, but more importantly Josh Allen seems to be fine. Allen was seen on the sidelines shaking out his hand and appeared to be in discomfort. But Allen told CBS’s Evan Washburn after the game that he just “got a helmet to the funny bone” and lost feeling in his hand. Sleep easy, Bills fans, the MVP-favourite appears to be just fine.
• The Carolina Panthers saw their playoff hopes dashed long ago, but we’d be remised not to give a shout-out to the season that Canadian RB Chuba Hubbard has had. The Edmonton native will head into Week 17 as the league’s fifth-leading rusher with 1,195 yards. He also walked off the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday with a 21-yard TD in OT. Not a bad season from the Canuck.
• Because of that Daniels guy, Jacksonville Jaguars rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. isn’t going to win any hardware. But amidst another dreadful season, at least the Jags know they’ve found a bonafide No. 1 receiver in Thomas. He became the first rookie WR in Jacksonville history to surpass 1,000 yards, and is just getting better and better as the season rolls on.