The Washington Commanders' 20-19 win over the New Orleans Saints gave Dan Quinn's team a big boost in its playoff chase, but it was also special for another reason.
Jayden Daniels, an LSU product, was back in New Orleans for the first time since coming to the NFL, and that can be a big emotional return.
But Daniels didn't seem too phased by it, finishing his day going 25 for 31 with 226 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 66 rushing yards.
For head coach Dan Quinn, how Daniels managed the return to New Orleans and still played at a high level wasn't surprising to him.
“Obviously a lot of success here for him personally,” Quinn said. “He did a good job of this is the next one, and how we go play. He’s pretty remarkable in that way as a mature, young player where he doesn’t ride the rollercoaster too much. That’s not easy to do, especially for someone that gets as much attention as he does. So he defers it, goes to the next and he can really stay in it. But to come down and get a win, that’s No. 1.”
The Commanders move to 9-5 on the season and see their chances of making the postseason increase dramatically.
Of course, there are still three games left in the year, and we know that nothing is guaranteed in football, so Quinn will be guarding against complacency from his team.
But with Daniels leading the way, the Commanders will have faith they can punch their playoff ticket sooner rather than later.
And with each passing week as the pressure builds, we imagine that Daniels will stay the same, even-keeled quarterback he's been his whole career, and that bodes well for Washington.
