Commanders’ Jayden Daniels had special cheering section in thrilling win over Buccaneers

Believe it or not, LSU has produced another generation of NFL talent that could be better than Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. And when Jayden Daniels coolly led the Commanders to a historic 23-20 wild-card win Sunday night over the Buccaneers, his former Tigers teammates were there to support him.

With wide receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas in the stands, Daniels led Washington to its first playoff win in 6,945 days. The rookie moved the chains on a monumental third-down run with 55 seconds left to set up Zane Gonzalez’s bank-shot field goal at the end of regulation. Facing third-and-2, Daniels calmly avoided immediate pressure from Calijah Kancey, leaving the 280-pound lineman with a souvenir towel before scooting 4 yards. Nabers loved it.

Daniels became the first rookie ever to win a playoff game while leading his team in both passing (268) and rushing yards (36), and the first rookie quarterback to win a road postseason contest since Russell Wilson in 2012. And, per Doug Clawson, Daniels now has led his team to three games of zero turnovers and zero punts — as a rookie; that’s more than the combined careers of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Patrick Mahomes and Joe Montana — who combined for two such starts. Washington’s last postseason victory was Jan. 7, 2006, a 17-10 win at Tampa Bay.

Nabers and Thomas also were exceptional, even though their teams missed the playoffs. Despite playing with four Giants quarterbacks, Nabers posted the second-most receptions ever by an NFL rookie, recording 109 for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns. Only Brock Bowers (112) this season had more catches as a rookie.

Thomas was a shining light in a dark season for Jacksonville. He collected 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns on 87 catches for the Jaguars. Daniels, Nabers and Thomas each earned PFWA All-Rookie honors. Daniels (No. 2), Nabers (No. 6) and Thomas (No. 23) were selected in the first round of the 2024 draft.

Washington (13-5) now prepares for a divisional-round visit to Detroit (15-2) on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, FOX). The Bucs (10-8), who won the NFC South for a fourth straight season, saw their season end. They’ll rue several missed opportunities late in the game.

For more information on the Commanders and Buccaneers, visit the Washington and Tampa Bay team pages at ProFootballPost.com.