LANDOVER, MD. -- The last time Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels won a start before Sunday night's 27-10 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, he had yet to dislocate his elbow and had not endured questions about his durability or his game.
When asked if it felt like it had been a year since his last win -- it was Oct. 5, 2025 to be exact -- Daniels said, "It probably felt longer."
That's why he wanted to savor Sunday's win, during which he completed 16 of 29 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 23 yards. He completed passes for 53 and 30 yards in the second half to help Washington earn its second win of the season. The Commanders are 2-4-1 and two games behind the first-place Giants in the NFC East.
Since that win over the Chargers last year, Daniels had endured several adverse situations.
He fumbled the following week, leading to a Bears comeback win; he missed a game because of a hamstring injury; he dislocated his left elbow and missed three games aggravated it upon his return, causing him to be shut down for the final four games.
Then, in 2026, he missed two games after dislocating the elbow again, and in his last game at home, he failed to throw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock in overtime, preventing the Commanders from kicking a last-second field goal to snap a tie against the Giants.
He was 0-7-1 in his previous eight starts -- though he failed to finish four of those outings. Before that stretch, he had won 15 of his first 20 regular-season starts.
"It's a blessing," Daniels said, "just to go out there and everything I've been through in my career so far, just to keep pushing and keep fighting through adversity to come out with a big-time win with these guys and knowing I could have had a different direction."
Daniels' season could've ended after dislocating his elbow in Week 2. But he finished his third consecutive game since the injury. He has thrown six touchdown passes and no interceptions this season and has run for two more scores.
"You make those sacrifices because guys are putting everybody on the line," said Daniels, who had the wind knocked out of him on a hit late in the first half. "Who am I to not do the same thing?"
Washington coach Dan Quinn wasn't surprised.
"He showed a lot of toughness," Quinn said. "He took a real shot toward the end of the first half. To see him [go], 'I'm good,' and he comes back and then made a bunch of plays. ... I always feel [his] poise and control."
Daniels also displayed his evolving leadership. In Washington's first three series, the Commanders committed four penalties, missed a 55-yard field goal attempt, had one three-and-out and lost a fumble. After the turnover, Daniels gathered most of the offensive players on the sidelines for an inspirational lecture.
"It was complete BS, just how we started and what we were doing," Daniels said. "At the point, it wasn't our brand of football that we want to showcase. You just get frustrated and you go up and you got to speak your mind. That's what I did and just helped snap everybody back into place."
The Commanders then scored the next 27 points.
"When you have your leader do that and stand in front of everybody, everyone feels that urgency, and we played better after that," backup quarterback Marcus Mariota said. "He finds his voice, and he picks his spot."
Running back Austin Ekeler said it was the first time he has seen Daniels pull everyone together like that during a game.
"He brought the offense up and was getting us mentally reset, 'Hey, we know if we don't stop ourselves, we can score points,'" Ekeler said. "It's hard being a leader in this league, especially at quarterback. You have a lot on your plate. The older you get, the more you understand your role, so it's cool to see him bring us up like that."
Daniels did his part after that talk. He led scoring drives on three of the next four series, including an 8-yard pass to receiver Stefon Diggs, for a 13-10 halftime lead. In the second half, he completed 5 of 8 passes for 121 yards.
"The mindset of this team is awesome," Ekeler said. "It's good to get a win for him, for all of us."
