64,614 people at the Raymond James Stadium were stunned. It’s January 12, 2025. The Buccaneers and Commanders were in the finishing seconds of the wild card game. Scores level at 20 a piece. 3 seconds on the clock, Zane Gonzalez kicked the ball. It seemed to be drifting just a bit too much. It hit the right upright and went in. The Commanders won a game that was as dramatic as it could get. Jayden Daniels became the hero. Josh Harris too. He bought the franchise from Dan Snyder in 2023, and things have suddenly looked a lot better.

The rookie and his teammates impressed their former Robert Griffin III, who had a completely opposite run at the team. During the January 15 episode of the Dan Patrick Show, he opened up on his failures and said, “When you look at my situation when I came out as a rookie, I was with an owner in Dan Snyder and a head coach in Mike Shanahan who were feuding. I did not know that at the time—I was just a young 22-year-old kid—but there was not the uniformity throughout the organization that Washington has now. And that’s why I always say organizations and NFL teams screw up more young quarterbacks than they actually help succeed.” That’s right. While the owner put his team at risk, he set up the rookie QB for failure.

The 2nd overall pick, Griffin had a competitor for his position, Kirk Cousins, drafted 102nd overall. While Dan Snyder liked Griffin, the head coach, Mike Shanahan, liked Cousins more. Things became a lot more apparent when the locker room saw the owner comforting Griffin, who was angry with Cousins named the starter.

Later, there were reports about things not being good between the HC and the QB. While the signal caller demanded a different offense, the head coach disagreed, claiming the QB didn’t have the ability to play like a pocket passer that he wanted to. The 2013 season was a disaster as the QB had a 3-10 win-loss record in 13 games. The next 2 years were challenging as injuries piled up. In the end, the franchise traded him.

The issues with the owner and head coach didn’t help his image. Robert Griffin III couldn’t secure his place at the Browns or the Ravens. Jayden Daniels has followed a radically different trajectory. He is looking to create history against the Lions.

Commanders aim high under Dan Snyder’s successor

After a nail-biting wild card game, the rookie is up against the mighty Lions. The credit goes to Josh Harris, who brought in Adam Peters as the GM and Dan Quinn as the head coach. Additionally, they turned over many staff members and players, totally revamping the franchise. In 2024, their biggest move was drafting Jayden Daniels second overall. And now, they are hoping he can pull of a win against the NFC top seed.

Even the Lions HC Dan Campbell called him a difference maker and said, “He is dangerous. He poses a major threat.” Everyone is stunned by his ability to remain calm, irrespective of the direction the game goes in. And Quinn understands that. That’s what helped them win the wild card game. With 24 successful passes, 268 passing yards, and 2 touchdowns thrown, he kept them in the game single-handedly. The rookie also led them in rushing with 13 attempts for 36 yards.

However, the Lions are a different beast. Under OC Ben Johnson and DC Aaron Glenn, they are the team to beat. It would be the biggest upset of the season and a shot in the arm for Daniels’ reputation if the Commanders go through.