Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Is Jayden Daniels MVP Worthy?

Posted on by

December 27, 2024

by David Earl

Jayden Daniels Orchestrates Improbable Win

When you commit 5 turnovers in a game agrainst a Super Bowl contender like the Philadelphia Eagles, the game is over until the unthinkable becomes reality. Washington could not have scripted a worse start to this game.  In their first three possessions, they turned the ball over on downs at midfield, then Brian Robinson Jr. fumble on the very first play from scrimmage, and then had a 3 and out, losing 1 yard on that series. Robinson’s fumble was his first of two; plus, he was very ineffective in the game, averaging 1.8 yards per carry in the first half and finishing the game 2.4 yards per carry.  The only aspect of the running game that produced were the legs of Jayden Daniels, who averaged 9.0 yards per carry finishing with 81 yards rushing.

Washington was very fortunate that the Eagles managed to only score on 1 of the 3 first-half turnovers. They got a touchdown in the first quarter after Robinson’s fumble, but Washington forced a punt after the next turnover, and the Eagles missed a field goal after the third and final of Washington’s first-half turnovers. This game could have easily gotten away from Washington during the first half but the loss of Jalen Hurts, and the fact that Washington scored a touchdown after a 1st quarter interception went a long way toward preserving this game.

Many people reasonably pointed out that Washington played against a backup quarterback, Kenny Pickett, for most of this game. That said Pickett at least had 24 career starts with the Pittsburgh Steelers managing decent numbers but did not progress into a franchise-type quarterback for the Steelers. Between the weapons that the Eagles had offensively, and the fact that Philadelphia has one of the league’s top defenses, there were plenty of assets in place to win a game in which the defense generated 5 turnovers. This game came down to poor coaching and/or player execution, as well as the fact that the Eagles’ defense did not step up. Maybe the Eagles lost this game, but Washington’s offense still had to overcome a barrage of turnovers against one of the top defenses in the NFL. If the loss of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson made so much of an impact that this defense took that considerable of a drop, then just how good was the defense in the first place? What did the numbers show in this matchup?

Entering this game the Eagles’ defense allowed a league-best 4.8 yards per play and ranked 8th at 4.3 yards per rush attempt. Against the pass, they have been one of the best in the league, having allowed 61.80% completions and an average 82.8 team passer rating per game. The Eagles’ 8.06% sack rate was identical to Washington’s sack rate and ranked 6th in the league. The Eagles’ defense is arguably more improved than the unit Washington faced from their first meeting on Thursday night in week 11, and Jayden Daniels and this offense’s performance was a complete 180 difference in this most recent game. Certainly, Washington’s run game beyond Daniels was atrocious – collectively, the running backs had 15 carries for 32 yards, which equates to 2.1 yards per rush attempt. Looking beyond the run game, the offense faired very well against a stout defense.

Having to overcome the turnovers, Washington’s offense averaged 5.8 yards per play, but that number is skewed by the poor play of the running backs. Isolating Jayden Daniels’ running and pass attempts, he accounted for 339 yards off 48 total plays, averaging 7.1 yards per play. Although he threw 2 interceptions, his 5 touchdown passes were not only a first by a rookie quarterback, but Daniels did it against a defense that had allowed an average of 1.1 per game. Daniels’ total yards of 339 yards was against a defense that had previously allowed an average of 275.6 per game, which is the league’s best by far. Daniels generated pass plays of 32, 49, and 51 yards, as well as a scramble for 29 yards on a 4th and 11 in the third quarter.

Even despite the fact that Gardner-Johnson was ejected, the Eagles’ defensive front only managed a pressure rate of 4.04%, getting Daniels with just 1 sack and 2 additional quarterback hits. The lack of pressure allowed Daniels time to navigate through his progressions and allowing time to make the best throw. Even on his 2 interceptions, 1 was ill-advised, going across his body, but the other sailed over a wide-open Luke McCaffrey into Gardner-Johnson’s arms. The latter was a good read and a potential big play, just poor placement and not from the result of pressure up front of Garnder-Johnson in coverage. This game was very probably the coming out party for the favored Rookie of the Year Candidate, as Daniels put this team on his shoulders against a great defense.

 

Should Jayden Daniels be Considered for MVP?

At the moment, Bills quarterback Josh Allen is leading the list for odds to win the league MVP, followed by quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Saquon Barkley, quarterback Jared Goff, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and quarterback Sam Darnold. None of those players are undeserving of this award – every respective team would be drastically different without these player’s contributions. This is an award that typically favors quarterbacks, and Barkley is the only non-quarterback.  He is having a historic season, averaging 122.5 yards per game while averaging 5.9 yards per attempt. For as valuable as he is to this offense and how dynamic he makes the Eagles’ schematic approach each week, Barkley still has a great supporting cast around him plus one of the league’s best defenses. The Eagles would still be a playoff team and considered a contender without him too.

As far as the quarterbacks on this list, Jared Goff benefits the most from the Lions’ scheme and the talented skill position players on that team. They featured great pair of young wide receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams plus a great young tight end in Sam LaPorta. The Lions also have one of the best running back duos supporting Goff, in comparison to the remaining quarterbacks.

Patrick Mahomes would need to have a historically down year for him to not be on this list, as he is the one player here two consistently elevates his play when his team needs him in clutch moments. Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson are two very different players, but running the ball is a major part of each of their respective team’s overall success. Unlike Goff, neither Allen nor Jackson are surrounded by a wealth of offensive talent, but they do have a great supporting cast at the running back position. Buffalo’s James Cook averages 5.1 yards per attempt and Derrick Henry averages 5.9 yards per attempt. Both quarterbacks also have more than 1 reliable option in the passing game, unlike Washington. Therefore, how does Jayden Daniels fit into this equation?

Aside from the fact that Terry McLaurin is having one of his best seasons of his career, Washington’s offensive weapons are one-dimensional and defendable. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. is a north-south runner who averages 4.3 yards per attempt and does not scare any defenses in the passing game. Austin Ekeler is more of a threat in the passing game than as an every-down runner but also is not quite the player he was for the Chargers. The receivers after McLaurin include journeyman players like Noah Brown, Olamide Zaccheaus, Zack Ertz, and a limited route runner in deep-threat Dyami Brown. What Daniels has done with this group is remarkable and reminiscent of C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans last season.

Remove any one of the favored MVP candidates from their respective teams and the rosters are still Wild Card contending teams at the very least. Now, take a roster still led by Taylor Heinicke or another journeyman quarterback and Washington is lucky to be a 6 win team. At best, they could have been in contention for the playoffs with a lot of help needed, but that would have been the best-case scenario in my opinion. Daniels being nearly perfect on Monday Night Football against Cincinnati, having the mobility and arm strength in week 8 against the Chicago Bears, and now this performance against the best defense in the NFL the Philadelphia Eagles are examples of what he brings to this team. Daniels showed how he elevates his performance to the next level when the team is backed into the corner. Washington’s defense was never going to bail out this team, nor was the running game going to close out a game at a consistent level this season. Washington just does not have the depth of talent yet on this roster, which is what makes this team’s record at 10-5 so remarkable. They would not have come remotely close to what they’ve showed this season without Daniels, and anyone who remotely understands this game should recognize this fact. So while Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen will win the MVP and Daniels is all but locked into the Rookie of the Year Award, you cannot deny that what Daniels did for this Washington organization is MVP-caliber work.

0