Jayden Daniels’ puncher’s chance is about to get hit in the mouth

When it comes to magical playoff runs, Jayden Daniels is clearly in a class of his own. He has the Washington Commanders a game away from the Super Bowl, and if Washington can upset the Eagles, he’d become the first rookie quarterback to lead his team to the final game of the season.

But Daniels is about to meet a different beast. The Eagles are simply built differently, and it’s that difference that makes Philly so formidable. There’s a good chance Daniels is going to take some vicious hits in this game, and his reaction will largely determine whether or not Washington’s season will continue.

The Commanders have kept Daniels clean in the playoffs so far

One of the most remarkable stats from Washington’s playoff run is that Daniels has been sacked just once, for a loss of two yards against Tampa Bay. The decimated Detroit Lions defense blitzed Daniels relentlessly, but Daniels was able to escape from a bunch of guys from so far down the depth chart that their names were barely recognizable.

That’s about to change. Vic Fangio has a reputation for blitzing, too, but it’s unlikely that Philly’s defensive coordinator will make the same mistake that his playoff predecessors did. The Eagles will focus on keeping Daniels contained, and sooner or later Jalen Carter and friends are going to hit Daniels. Hard.

That hit may even come with a penalty or two, but from Philly’s perspective it will be well worth it. It will remind Daniels that he doesn’t get to come out clean in a playoff game, and the quarterback’s unique ability to avoid taking big hits will be sorely tested.

A big hit nearly derailed Jayden Daniels’ remarkable rookie season

As brilliant as Daniels has been, it’s worth taking a look back at the stretch when he struggled after sustaining a rib injury against Carolina. Daniels wasn’t the same guy for the next month or so, but to his credit he wasn’t gun shy once he got healthy, and the Commanders simply kept winning games.

Daniels has gotten smarter about avoiding hits since then, and he’s hurt opponents with his legs on a regular basis. He knows when to get down, and of course the Washington QB has been aided by those near-miraculous plays that began against the Bears.

But the Eagles are built from the line of scrimmage out, and their D-line eats quarterbacks for a living. Daniels’ outlet receivers are also going to take some big hits, so expect those checkdown choices to be far less effective against Philly.

Jalen Hurts is the wild card in this championship equation

The wild card in this equation is Jalen Hurts, who has been wildly inconsistent for the last couple of years. He went head-to-head against Patrick Mahomes and nearly pulled out a victory, but we haven’t seen that version of Hurts on a regular basis for some time now.

Instead, he’s a runner who complements Saquon Barkley, and occasionally he makes plays in the passing game. This formula allows the Eagles to capitalize on the strength of their massive offensive line, and they’ll follow the same blueprint against Washington.

But Hurts is hurt going into this game, and that might give the Commanders more than the proverbial puncher’s chance. The Eagles offense has had some awful games when Hurts can’t run effectively—will the knee brace he may be wearing hinder his ability to serve as a counterpoint to Saquon?

If that does happen, Daniels has the poise and ability to capitalize. His big plays kept the powerful Lions offense back on its heels, and he held up just fine in a back-and-forth battle against the Bucs. If he can hold up against the Eagles pass rush and emerge from whatever big hits are coming his way, that puncher’s chance will look more and more powerful as the game progresses.