Why Daniels Heads Fearlessly Into The Lions’ Den

Jayden Daniels PHOTO: TOM DiPACE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Washington Commanders Have More Going For Them Than A Great Quarterback. This Year Or Not, Destiny Is At The Door.

By Raoul Dennis

Jayden Daniels will be heading into the Lion's den this Saturday. And according to him, he doesn't put any more pressure on the game than he does for any other game. He gets prepared, plays his heart out and leaves the rest in the hands of a Higher Power. That's the way it should be.

So, it almost doesn't matter whether they win against the Lions or not. The process has begun. A new era in Washington DC football has begun. It is an era that has been building for the past 10 years.

There were the first glimpses of a change when Kirk Cousins asked: “You like that??” after coming back and defeating the Buccaneers who held a 24-point lead at halftime in 2015. People in the DMV felt that energy. Yet another spark happened in 2020 when the Washington football team finally dropped their old name---one that some believed would not serve them well in the new century. Another glimpse came when the Washington football team managed to have a winning season (2020) despite all the distractions and challenges happening at the front office with former owner Dan Snyder. New diverse leadership at Washington's front office in 2023 led to more positive changes for the team's future. That leadership drafted 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels. Daniels let his talent do the talking: he holds the highest pass completion rate by a rookie quarterback in NFL history. And he has led his team to their first playoff victory since 2005.

A new era has begun.

Fans and media professionals are calling them the comeback kids and the clutch Commanders because of their Hail Mary pass wins and dramatic finishes that include the ‘doink of destiny’ that gave them their win over the Bucs last week and put them into playoff competition.

But there is also a certain magic surrounding and supporting this team that goes beyond the X's and O's on the field. Winning their last five games, a few of them on the road, in the last minutes of the game, while being led by a rookie quarterback, is more than a coincidence at this point. It's consistency.

The football Gods are smiling on Washington. Sports veterans and lovers of the game often say “I would rather be lucky than good.” The Commanders are what they are talking about. Stern football analysts argue that teams don't win the Super bowl without a running game and a solid defense. The Commanders may yet upset that apple cart, too. Like that old movie “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh” (starring Julius “Dr. J” Erving, 1979), teams of destiny really can't be denied once it's their time.

Maybe that's another reason why Daniels doesn't get stressed: this is his era, this is his team, and greatness--along with Super Bowls--will eventually come.