The Washington Commanders shocked the nation with a victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night, punching their ticket to Lincoln Financial Field for an NFC Championship against the Philadelphia Eagles.
And though it's probably not the opponent they anticipated, the Birds still have their work cut out for them thanks in large part to the talents of Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw for 25 touchdowns, nine interceptions and 3,568 passing yards during the 2024 regular season.
Asked if Daniels is playing the best of any rookie quarterback he's seen, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who first entered the NFL as a linebackers coach in 1986, was straight-up: "Probably, yeah," he said, per
He then went on to issue some more high praise for the rookie.
“He’s a young quarterback by birth certificate," Fangio said. “The guy is playing extremely well. You can tell how much they think he’s playing so good, because of their offense and things they trust him to do, and he has come through for them in a big way. He’s tough to handle.”
Philadelphia and Washington played each other twice this season—once in November, when Philly won, and once in December, when Washington clinched the playoffs thanks to some late-game heroics from Daniels himself. So at this point, the Eagles defense should know who they're dealing with. And per Fangio, it sounds like they do.
