The quarterback class from the 2024 NFL Draft was already one of the stories of this season. And it keeps getting better.
Jayden Daniels got the win on Sunday night, sending the Washington Commanders to the playoffs. And that usually would be enough that he wouldn’t have to share the spotlight. But the other rookie quarterback in the game, Michael Penix Jr. of the Atlanta Falcons, was also fantastic in rallying his team to overtime with a great game-tying drive in regulation.
Daniels’ season will definitely be continuing into the postseason. The Commanders clinched a playoff berth with the overtime 30-24 win. Washington won the coin toss to start overtime and took the first drive into the end zone to end the game before Penix ever had a chance to get a possession. Daniels looked like a veteran in moving his team downfield in a pressure situation. On third-and-goal, Daniels hit Zach Ertz for a 2-yard touchdown for the walk-off win. The win also clinched the NFC West title for the Los Angeles Rams due to tiebreakers.
The Falcons now need help to win the NFC South. Atlanta needs to beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 18 while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to the New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs as the division champion.
The silver lining for the Falcons in a loss that likely will cost them a shot at the division title was that they should have a lot of excitement over their quarterback going forward. All five first-round rookie quarterbacks who have started games have had flashes of brilliance or in Daniels’ case, a historic rookie season. The question for Falcons coach Raheem Morris in the offseason might be why he didn’t pull the plug on Kirk Cousins and turn to Penix sooner.
Falcons take lead into halftime
The first half wasn’t about either rookie quarterback. It was about Bijan Robinson and the Falcons defense.
Robinson had 82 rushing yards before halftime and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Falcons defense did a solid job of stopping Washington’s run game and limiting Jayden Daniels. The Commanders scored just once in the first half and trailed 17-7 at halftime.
That changed quickly in the second half. Daniels started running more and the Commanders’ offense came alive. Washington scored quickly, on a Daniels touchdown pass to Zach Ertz, and the Falcons’ lead was down to 17-14. The Commanders offense stayed hot on its next drive, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give Washington the lead early in the fourth quarter.
The Falcons offense couldn’t get in any rhythm, because they couldn’t keep any drives going and Daniels and the Commanders rarely let them have the ball. By the time the Commanders had extended their lead to 24-17, the Commanders had run 39 second-half plays to just nine for Atlanta, and Washington had a 20:20 to 5:08 edge in time of possession.
It looked like the Commanders had taken over the game and would escape with a win behind Daniels’ great second half. But Penix wasn’t backing down.
Falcons tie it late in 4th
The Falcons trailed 24-17 in a game they likely needed in the NFC South race, and that’s not a great spot for a rookie in his second career start. But Penix never looked like he was in just his second start.
Penix was impressive in driving the Falcons downfield in the final minutes, including a big fourth-and-11 completion to Drake London for 31 yards. But on first-and-goal a direct snap to Robinson was high and mishandled, and even though Robinson recovered he was tackled at the 26-yard line, putting Atlanta in a ridiculous second-and-goal position. But the rookie completed a 13-yard pass to London on second down and a 13-yard touchdown to Kyle Pitts on fourth down to tie it with 1:19 to go.
Daniels was excellent in the second half, as he has been most of the season. But in that crucial drive the Falcons learned a lot about their own rookie quarterback.
Daniels threw a nice pass to Olamide Zaccheaus on third down but Zaccheaus dropped it and the Commanders punted, giving the ball right back to the Falcons with less than a minute to go. Penix rallied the team downfield and with two seconds left he escaped the rush and threw downfield, which led to a pass interference call on the Commanders. That gave the Falcons a shot at a field goal as time expired. But Riley Patterson’s 56-yard attempt was short and the game went to overtime.
The Commanders got the ball first and Daniels continued to make plays. He had a great scramble for a first down on a crucial third-and-two. The drive kept moving inside the 10-yard line. The Commanders faced a third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, knowing a touchdown would clinch a playoff spot. Daniels hit Ertz for the touchdown, and Washington got one of its biggest wins in years.
Washington is heading to the playoffs. It seems like the rookie quarterback class of 2024 has plenty of postseason berths in its future.
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End 3rd quarter: Falcons 17, Commanders 14
Washington ran 25 plays and gained 145 yards in the quarter, while the Falcons ran just three plays and for a total of -1 yard. The two methodical Washington drives have worn down the Atlanta defense and the Commanders are in the red zone, knocking on the door again, with a chance to take a lead to open the 4th quarter.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) passes during the second half of an NFL football game, against the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough) -
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