Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders secured a stunning 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 8. The rookie quarterback completed a 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown pass to Noah Brown and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
As expected, Daniels’ pass went viral across various platforms on the Internet, and many legends, including Kevin Durant, reacted to it.
Kevin Durant Praises Jayden Daniels
Durant, who is a big Commanders fan and D.C. native, called Daniels “a bucket” after the game. It was a miraculous win for Washington as Chicago took a 15-12 lead with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. Moreover, the Commanders had no timeouts, which made this win even more special.
“HAHAHHAA, LETS GO,” Durant said after the Commanders’ win over the Bears.
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JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
— NFL (@NFL)
With the win against the Bears, the Commanders are now 6-2 on the season and have the joint second-best record in the NFC.
Daniels, who was the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has changed the trajectory of the Commanders franchise and is undoubtedly an MVP candidate this season. In the win against the Bears, he threw for 326 yards and a touchdown, completing 55.2% of his throws. The rookie quarterback also rushed for 52 yards on eight carries.
Daniels suffered a rib injury last week and was a game-time decision against the Bears. The LSU product would be glad that the team cleared him to play, as this Hail Mary touchdown pass will be remembered for years to come and could be the start of something special in Washington, D.C.
Daniels Took a Big Step To Win the OROY Award
The matchup between the Bears and the Commanders also featured the first and the second overall picks of this year’s draft going against each other.
Heading into Week 8, Daniels and Caleb Williams had the best odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, with the Commanders quarterback being a much bigger favorite. Not only did Daniels lead his team to a win, he also completely outplayed Williams. This performance will go a long way in helping him to win the OROY award.
In eight games this season, the Commanders star has thrown for 1,736 yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions, completing 71.8% of his throws with a passer rating of 104.3. In addition to his excellent passing numbers, he has also rushed for 424 yards and four touchdowns on 74 carries, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
SEE MORE: NFL World Reacts to Daniels’ Game-Winning Hail Mary Touchdown
With the loss against the Commanders, the Bears are now 4-3 on the season. It will be very hard for Williams to win the OROY award as Daniels is having a better statistical season than him and his team will also likely finish with a better record than the Bears.
Both the Bears and Commanders should be very happy with the quarterbacks they drafted, respectively. Daniels and Williams have the potential to become superstars, and given how stacked the AFC is with elite quarterbacks, having these two helps to level the playing field in both conferences. These two young quarterbacks could face each other again this season in the playoffs.
