Ben Roethlisberger has some company in his rookie club. With the Washington Commanders upsetting the Detroit Lions in Saturday night’s divisional game, QB Jayden Daniels has tied Roethlisberger for most wins by a rookie quarterback. Daniels matched Roethlisberger’s 14 with a 45-31 shootout victory against the top-seeded Lions.
Including the playoffs, Roethlisberger went 14-1 in 2004. Initially drafted to sit on the bench and learn, he was thrust into the lineup in Week 2 after Tommy Maddox suffered an in-game injury against the Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger and the Steelers lost that one, officially credited to Maddox, but wouldn’t fall again the rest of the regular season.
Under Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh won their next 13 games in one of the most historic seasons led by a rookie under center. Roethlisberger benefitted from a strong running game and defense but still made plays, dazzling with his brand of Backyard Ben Ball unable to be wrestled down by would-be pass rushers.
At 14-1, the Steelers rested Roethlisberger and several key starters for the regular season finale against the Buffalo Bills. Pittsburgh still found a way to win the game thanks to the breakout performance of RB Willie Parker. Clinching the No. 1 seed, Roethlisberger and the Steelers edged out the New York Jets in the Divisional Round for Roethlisberger’s 14th win of his rookie season. The fairy tale run would end in the ’04 AFC Championship Game, falling to the New England Patriots 41-27.
Despite the tough loss, Roethlisberger and the Steelers would bounce back and go on an incredible 2005 playoff run to become the first No. 6 seed to ever win a Super Bowl.
Daniels has transformed the Commanders in the span of a season and arguably was asked to do more than Roethlisberger was in his first season. A year ago, Washington went 4-13 and held one of the top picks of the draft. They took Daniels second-overall and started him out of the gate. He’s enjoyed an electric rookie year, throwing for 25 touchdowns, rushing for six more, and making a long list of clutch plays.
The Steelers beat them in Week 10 but the Commanders bounced back from a three-game losing streak to win their final five games of the regular season. That gave Daniels 12 regular season wins.
He’s earned the next two in the playoffs. First, with a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card game. A back-and-forth contest won by Washington on the final snap of regulation as K Zane Gonzalez doinked in the game-winning kick. Heavy underdogs for the Divisional Round, Daniels made repeated big plays. He finished the game with 299 passing yards, two touchdowns, and 51 rushing yards as Washington scored 28 second quarter points to build a halftime lead and pull away from Detroit in the fourth quarter.
Washington will play the winner of Sunday’s Philadelphia Eagles-Los Angeles Rams contest for the NFC Championship and opportunity to play in this year’s Super Bowl. Another win will put Daniels solely in first place though his focus will be on a Lombardi more than it will breaking Roethlisberger’s mark. No rookie quarterback has ever started much less won a Super Bowl. Daniels is one win away from being the first.
