NFL Exec Hypes 'Clutch' Jayden Daniels and Calls Commanders 'Dangerous' in Playoffs

One NFL team executive doesn't think the Washington Commanders should be overlooked in the race to claim the NFC crown.

"Jayden Daniels scored five touchdowns against Philly and won with five (Washington) turnovers," the exec said to The Athletic's Mike Sando. "Daniels has been great in big moments, clutch spots. If it's a one-score game and he has the ball last, that is a dangerous team."

Of the three executives he interviewed, each one listed Washington last when ranking the NFC playoff teams. Still, the Commanders are riding a four-game winning streak, and two of those victories saw them dig deep against fellow playoff contenders.

In Week 16, they overcame a 21-7 deficit to the Philadelphia Eagles, scoring 22 points in the final frame. Daniels hit Jamison Crowder with nine seconds remaining to complete the comeback.

On Sunday, Washington trailed the Atlanta Falcons by 10 points at half and led by seven points in the fourth quarter before Kyle Pitts' 13-yard touchdown reception tied the score. In overtime, Atlanta never got the ball as Daniels engineered a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ate 7:18 off the clock and culminated in Zach Ertz's two-yard touchdown grab.

To the point raised by the executive, Daniels has displayed a poise belying his relative inexperience in the pros.

In the fourth quarter of the Commanders' games, he has completed 71.1 percent of his passes for 1,111 yards and 11 touchdowns to three interceptions. When Washington has trailed with fewer than four minutes remaining, he boasts a 120.9 passer rating while throwing for 379 yards, five touchdowns and two picks.

In the event Washington finds itself down late in a playoff contest, don't expect Daniels to get rattled, and that could go a long way for a team that's going to be an underdog against pretty much every opponent.