We have an NFC East NFC Championship Game this week.
Jayden Daniels voted PFWA 2024 Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year – PFWA, Commanders.com
Awards are in order after the rookie’s historic season.
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, who broke the NFL rookie quarterback single season rushing record in leading the Commanders to the playoffs for the first time since 2020, is the 2024 Rookie of the Year and the Offensive Rookie of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Los Angeles Rams linebacker Jared Verse, who led NFL rookies in quarterback hits, pressures and hurries, is the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Daniels, the second overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU, started all 17 games for the Commanders and completed 331 of 480 passes (69 percent; sixth in the NFL) for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a passer rating of 100.1 (seventh in the NFL). He also had 148 rush attempts for 891 yards (second-most among NFL quarterbacks) and six touchdowns. He is the first player in NFL history to record over 1,000 passing yards and over 250 rushing yards in his first five career games. Daniels also is the first rookie and fifth player in NFL history to record a completion percentage of 80 percent or higher in four games in a season, and the sixth rookie QB to throw five touchdowns in a game. His 31 touchdowns (25 passing, six rushing) and his 891 rushing yards are both second among all NFL rookies this season. Daniels’ 3,568 passing yards is second among NFL rookies, and he also rushed for 55 first downs. He was the NFL Offensive Player of the Week in Week 3 and the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Month for September.
Daniels is the second player in Washington history to be selected as the PFWA’s Rookie of the Year, as running back Mike Thomas captured the 1975 award. Daniels is also the second Washington player to be the PFWA’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, joining quarterback Robert Griffin III, who won the award in 2012.
Eagles’ 1st thoughts on facing Jayden Daniels and Commanders again – Dave Zangaro, NBC Sports Philadelphia
The third matchup between Washington and Philly will be the rubber match.
The Eagles will jump into their preparation this week to face Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, but they already know what’s coming.
They’ve seen Daniels twice this already season.
“Oh, you know the challenge,” All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun said on Sunday. “He’s dynamic, he can throw the ball, he makes all his reads. He doesn’t play like a rookie quarterback and we’re not going to treat him like one.”
The Eagles will host the Commanders on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the NFC Championship Game at the Linc. They get a home conference championship game after the Commanders shocked the No. 1-seeded Lions on Saturday.
Thanks to that upset on Saturday, the Eagles knew they weren’t just playing for a trip to the NFC title game on Sunday; they were playing for the chance to host one. And they took care of business with a 28-22 win over the Rams.
After the win, they had already started to their attention.
As they now get ready to host the Commanders this coming Sunday, they don’t need any reminders about how dangerous Washington’s rookie quarterback can be.
New York Giants’ Top Offseason Priorities – Scott Salomon, Sports Illustrated
The ship needs to get back on track in New York.
The New York Giants need to upgrade an underperforming roster that finished with a franchise-worst 3-14 record and has seemingly not progressed since 2022 when the Giants surprised the NFL with a postseason run.
General manager Joe Schoen, given a reprieve on his job, has a lot of work to do, starting with an honest and thorough evaluation of the roster he and head coach Brian Daboll helped assemble.
This includes being willing to admit to mistakes made since 2022 that they have stubbornly denied, such as offensive lineman Evan Neal’s best position.
They also need to come up with answers to the following glaring problem areas.
The Quarterback
It is no secret the first position that must be addressed is the quarterback position. They must have a contingency plan if they cannot draft Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders, both of whom they’ve been linked to.
By picking third, there is no guarantee either will be around when the Giants are on the clock, and there are no other quarterbacks worthy of being selected as high. There is also no guarantee that the Giants have either quarterback ranked that high.
The Giants must plan to get a veteran bridge quarterback in free agency, such as Minnesota’s Sam Darnold, Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields, Los Angeles Rams’ Jimmy Garoppolo, or maybe even Carson Wentz, to be that plug-and-play guy who can carry the team through until they find their next Eli Manning.
