The Washington football team — be it the Redskins or the Commanders — haven’t had much recent playoff success, at all.
The team hasn’t won a playoff football game since George W. Bush was in office, when the then-Redskins went on the road to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in 2006.
Fast forward to 2025, and the Commanders have finally done it again, under shockingly similar circumstances.
(The Commanders beat the Bucs in Tampa Bay 23-20 Sunday night to advance to the divisional round of the NFL playoffs.)
And if you’ve been following this feel-good NFL story at all, you probably already have an idea of where star Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels directed all of his praise.
Following the game, NBC Sports’ Melissa Stark spoke to Daniels, receiver Terry McLaurin, and veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, with the star rookie getting the first wave of questions.
You can watch the viral moment below, and see if you can spot a pattern with Daniels:
Jayden Daniels, Bobby Wagner and Terry McLaurin reflect on Washington’s first playoff win in 20 years with Melissa Stark. pic.twitter.com/fOh8ULq8ns
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 13, 2025
Are you a fan of Jayden Daniels?
“You are a rookie quarterback. You come here on the road, [it’s] your first playoff start. You’re so calm, so poised,” Stark told Daniels. “How?”
“Trust in the Lord God,” Daniels replied. “There’s nothing I should worry about, man. I put all my worries on Him, and He’ll take care of the rest.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given that its NBC, Stark quickly pivoted the questions towards Wagner at that point.
Look, if you’re going based off of television viewership, the NFL’s in tip-top shape. The league doesn’t exactly need “stars” created, unlike, say, the viewership-challenged NBA currently.
Regardless, given Daniels’ present and past comments regarding his very public faith, the NFL would be foolish not to realize what a remarkable opportunity it has.
The modern NFL has never really had a true superstar quarterback who puts his faith so up-front and center like that. With all due respect to Tim Tebow, a genuinely good human being, he never quite reached the rarefied air that Daniels — the player — is enjoying.
If Daniels continues his ascent as a player (yes, progression obviously is not linear), one of the NFL’s most moribund franchises could have a Patrick Mahomes-esque superstar on its hands.
And if Daniels does reach those lofty Mahomes- or Tom Brady-type heights? Imagine the hearts, minds, and souls he can reach as one of the NFL’s very best players AND one of its most vocal proponents of faith.
The Commanders next play when the team travels to Detroit on Saturday to face the top-seeded, juggernaut Lions in a game that Washington should lose.
But if the Commanders and Daniels can keep up this play and pull off the massive upset?
You already know who Jayden Daniels will give glory to, first and foremost.
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