Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters knew what he was getting when he informed his staff that they were taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels with the No. 2 overall pick.

Peters, who jumped into the task of turning the Commanders franchise into a contender last January following the team's 4-13 campaign in 2023, had done his research up to that point. He had watched countless hours of film, spoken to coaches and seen the pre-draft workouts. He spoke with Daniels personally, both at the Scouting Combine and at the Commanders' facility in Ashburn, Virginia, to see if all the things he heard about Daniels' work ethic, attention to detail and competitiveness were all true.

Daniels checked all the boxes. Peters was convinced he had found Washington a quarterback -- something the franchise had spent years searching for -- and a foundation for the team's future. He was proven right, time and time again, in the form of dramatic wins, a deep playoff run and several broken franchise and NFL records.

"If we could've run it up, we would've run that pick up," Peters said after Night 1 of the NFL Draft. "We waited a little while because I think they tell us to do that, but we couldn't be happier."

Commanders fans know what it's like having Daniels as their quarterback. It involves a belief that their team has a chance to win as long as he's in the game. That ended up being true, as Daniels went on to complete 69% of his passes for 3,568 yards with 31 total touchdowns. It might have required them to wait until the last second of games, but they were usually rewarded with unforgettable moments. The Commanders went 12-5 and advanced to the NFC Championship -- both firsts for the franchise since 1991.

What fans don't know is what it's like to face Daniels as an opponent, and it turns out that it's not as enjoyable of an experience.

"I knew he was good," said Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons, "but I didn't know he was that good."

Parsons isn't alone. As Daniels propelled the Commanders to a level of success they had not experienced in decades, the rest of the league took notice. They saw a player who could pick defenses apart with pinpoint accuracy, change a game with momentum-swinging plays and -- as Peters put it when Washington drafted him -- take a defense's soul with last-second heroics.

So, in honor of Daniels being named the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year, here's a look at what his historic season was like through his competition's eyes.

Daniels' regular season debut didn't end in the best fashion, as the Commanders dropped the road matchup, 37-20, but Daniels had his moments in the Week 1 loss. He completed 70.8% of his passes for 184 yards and led the team in rushing with 88 yards on 16 carries. Although Daniels wasn't the player he grew into by the end of the season, it was clear he had the tools to have a long NFL career.

"Any time you face a dual-threat quarterback, it's going to be a problem," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said before the game. "He can beat you with his legs or his arm. He was taken that high for a reason. He's very accurate, very calm in the pocket, has a good mastery of the offense from what we've seen. … It's going to be tough trying to keep him in the pocket and trying to cover those guys."

Daniels' first division game didn't feature many highlight-reel plays from either side of the ball -- Washington won the game with seven field goals -- but Daniels was even more accurate than the previous week, going 23-of-29 for 226 yards. His best moment, though, came in the fourth quarter -- a sign of things to come later in the season. He connected with Noah Brown on a 34-yard pass that moved the Commanders into Giants territory and led to a game-winning 30-yard field goal from Austin Seibert.

"Fast is the first thing I thought," Giants defensive end Brian Burns said that week. "And secondly, he looks confident. The way he plays, he exudes some confidence. Even after a couple bad throws I've seen him make on film, it's like he brushed it off like it never happened. So that type of confidence is what you look for in a quarterback and I think he has it at an early stage."

If there were one game on the Commanders' schedule to point to where fans started to believe the season could be special, it would be the 38-33 primetime win over the Bengals. Daniels was nearly perfect in the victory with a 95.4 QBR and a 91.3% completion rate -- an NFL record for a rookie. Daniels accounted for 82% of the Commanders' total yardage and three of their five touchdowns, including the 27-yarder to Terry McLaurin in the fourth quarter that iced the game.

"I'm watching him; he played great," quarterback Joe Burrow said after the game. "I told him that after the game. Congrats to him. Big-time performance. Credit to them. They played unbelievable. We didn't quite match their level of execution."

"He's a great player," added receiver Ja'Marr Chase. "I'm not going to lie. That was my first time sitting down and watching him besides the spring game. So, he's a very outstanding player."

Daniels threw his first career interception on the offense's third possession of the drive. He was trying to hit Terry McLaurin in the middle of the field, which is usually a smart choice, but it was a tight window that Garrett Williams closed by grabbing the ball instead. It was the only mistake Daniels had all night, as he completed 86% of his passes for 233 yards while adding 47 yards on eight carries. Washington ran away with a 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, their first of four games that they scored at least 40 points in the regular season and playoffs.

"He's going to be a great player, he's having a special year as a rookie," Kyler Murray said of Daniels later in the season. "Statistically one of the best in the league right now as far as how he's playing. I think it's the mobility. When you're on the sideline versus the guy that has the dual threat ability that can extend plays, it's not a good feeling when a guy can extend plays with his feet. I know I can do that to the other team; he can do that to us. That makes you stay up at night as a defensive coordinator."

Daniels' return to Northwest Stadium wasn't as spectacular as his previous two games. Three of the offense's first four drives ended with either a punt or an interception, and it didn't put up points until near the end of the first quarter. Still, Daniels did enough to give Washington a 24-3 halftime lead, which turned into a 34-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns. It was a methodical win for the Burgundy & Gold, but there were still a few fireworks. Daniels connected with McLaurin for a 66-yard pass on a third-and-13 and tossed a 41-yard touchdown to Dyami Brown with 36 seconds left in the second quarter.

"Yeah, I mean, he just has really good command," Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said before the game. "I mean, what, they punted four times in four games, two games haven't punted? I mean, that'll get your attention really quickly."

Washington's road game against the Baltimore Ravens was viewed as its most challenging test up to that point with its stingy run defense and the combination of Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry fueling their offense. The Commanders fell short against one of the AFC's best teams in a 30-23 loss, but Daniels did his job to give the Commanders a shot. He tossed two touchdown passes, including one to McLaurin on fourth-and-goal that made it a one-score game.

Jackson hadn't seen much of Daniels up to that point in the season, but he saw plenty of the quarterback at the college level. What he saw convinced Jackson to give Daniels his vote to receive the Heisman Trophy.

"I've been catching glimpses of him play on social media and stuff like that, and he's going off," Jackson said that week. "He's doing what we saw in college – [that's] what got him the Heisman [Trophy]. No doubt."

Daniels opened the game against the Panthers with a typically electric play. He faked a handoff and looped around the Carolina defense for a 46-yard run. That was the play where Daniels injured his ribs, which forced him to sit out the rest of the 40-7 win. In the days leading up to the game, though, the Panthers knew how serious of a threat Daniels had become early in his career.

"He's very accurate. He's just not a running quarterback; he's very accurate in the pocket and even outside the pocket," said Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn before the game. "I think the deep ball is the best play that he has."

Daniels pulled off arguably the play of the year with the Hail Mary pass that gave Washington an 18-15 win over the Chicago Bears. The Commanders had practiced for the moment, and it was executed perfectly as the ball fell into Brown's hands. What made the play possible was how Daniels scrambled to give his receivers time to get downfield. He moved a total of 40.7 yards and held the ball for 12.79 seconds, which allowed his receivers to get to the goal line.

"I mean, he's fast," linebacker T.J. Edwards said after the game. "He does a good job of keeping the play alive. It's a long time for our guys to be covering stuff like that."

Daniels was still dealing with his rib injury, so Washington's 27-22 win over the Giants wasn't always as efficient as it could have been against a 2-6 team. However, Daniels got the job done as he completed 15-of-22 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. After starting off slow with a three-and-out, Daniels led the Commanders on three straight touchdown drives, the last of which was a 12-play, 87-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown to McLaurin.

It was clear to the Giants coaching staff that Daniels had grown in the seven weeks since they last saw him.

"You see the growth, especially in the passing game, you see the growth from him getting more comfortable back there," said Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen before the game. "He can make every throw. He's able to make every throw going into the first game, too. So, elite quarterback as a rookie who can really do a lot of things that can hurt you."

Daniels didn't have the best statistical performance in Washington's 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was held to 50% of his passes for 202 yards and just five yards on three carries. Despite that, the rookie had several clutch moments, like a 23-yard pass to Luke McCaffrey on third-and-4 and a pass to McLaurin that turned into a 54-yard play. He had the team up 10 points in the third quarter with a chance to pull off a win over a team that hadn't lost in a month. That kind of competitiveness is what Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expected from Daniels.

"It doesn't matter what tape you put on third down, red zone operation, his mobility is a major factor, whether it's by design or by ad-lib play extension escape," Tomlin said earlier in the week. "It is something to be reckoned with. It's one of the core components of why they are a dangerous group."

It was another tough matchup for the Commanders, who had to travel to face the Philadelphia Eagles and their top-ranked defense. They had a chance to win, thanks partly to 209 total yards from Daniels, but fell short in a 26-18 loss. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni knew before the game that they would "have our hands full with Daniels," and that he would be a challenge for years to come.

"But he's come out on fire," Sirianni said before the game. "He's got his team playing really well. Hats off to their coaches. You know, I just have a lot of respect for that coaching staff and the players on that team. He's playing really good football. It's very obvious. I think everybody can see that. A really good player who started off on fire, so we'll have a challenge here this week. Can't say enough good things about him. You know, how he's going to the right place with the football, being accurate, the things he can do when things do break down."

Micah Parson has been around the league for a few years and played against some of the league's best quarterbacks. So, he knows a good player when he sees one.

Parson's team got the better of the Commanders at Northwest Stadium in a 34-26 loss for the Burgundy & Gold. What started as a 3-3 tied game turned into a scoring frenzy with 41 combined points scored in the fourth quarter. Daniels finished the game going 25-of-28 for 275 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and it was enough to impress Parsons on the rookie's potential.

"And I said this to him during the game, I said, 'Yo, J, if y'all would've played like how y'all played in that fourth quarter, all game, I think you could be unstoppable,'" Parsons said on his podcast. "I think he's the caliber where you can have a complex system, and you can say, 'Just let him loose.' It'll be very interesting to see how they use him in the back half of the season, especially with December football right here and obviously their playoff hopes; I think the hype is real about him."

After a three-game skid in November, the Commanders started the new month with a convincing 42-19 win over the Titans at Northwest Stadium. They rushed for 267 yards on 45 carries, and Daniels returned to his usual accurate self. He completed 25 of his 30 passes for 206 yards with three touchdowns and an 81.4 QBR. Two of his touchdown passes went to McLaurin, including a 16-yard shot on third-and-2.

"He's the driver of the (Commanders) run and pass game," Titans head coach Brian Callahan said before the game. "He's fun to watch, and his poise for a young player stands out the most to me."

The biggest play from Washington's 20-19 win over New Orleans came at the end when Spencer Rattler's pass on a two-point conversion fell incomplete to give Washington the victory that moved them to 9-5. Had it not been for it, the most talked about play would have been Daniels' touchdown pass to McLaurin in the first quarter. He scrambled to his left, stumbled, regained his footing and threw a dart to McLaurin in the end zone. It's the kind of play Washington had come to expect from Daniels.

"It was going to be annoying," Cameron Jordan said after the game. "You knew he was elusive. If he got past that first read, he was able to extend the pocket out. There's a reason why he's been electric this year. We knew going in we'd have to break down those lanes, and even when you want to go take your dive at him, you have to make sure you have your defense rallying."

The Commanders had every reason to lose their second matchup with the Eagles. They committed five turnovers, two of which came from Daniels, and fell into a 21-7 hole in the first half. Daniels, however, was not going to be denied, and the quarterback put together one of his best performances with five passing touchdowns and 339 total yards. Daniels connected with Jamison Crowder for a nine-yard touchdown pass with six seconds left, handing the Eagles their first loss since Week 4.

"He's super dynamic," Sirianni said earlier in the week. "He's a good passer. He's outstanding with the ball in his hands and creating. Got a lot of respect for him and know we'll have to play him a couple times a year for a long time. I just continue to see him get better as he sees different looks and different things like that. I think they're doing a great job with him as coaches over there as well and adapting the offense around him."

Washington's primetime game against the Atlanta Falcons was one of its most dramatic, as the two teams went to overtime following Riley Patterson's missed field goal attempt. It was also one of Daniels' most iconic nights, as he had 227 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with 127 yards on the ground. Daniels was almost unstoppable on the game's final drive, accounting for nearly all of the 70 yards it took for the Commanders to reach the end zone. He wrapped things up with a two-yard touchdown to Zach Ertz to give Washington a postseason berth for the first time since 2020.

"Super, super, super talented guy," Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said after the game. "Super resilient, the tide of the game changed once he started using his legs more. That's stuff we have to be aware of, but he makes good plays, and he's quick as a cat when you're back there rushing him, but we got to him a couple of times today, but he made enough plays with his arms and his legs to put his team on his back and do what he got to do."

It was serendipitous for the Commanders to be playing the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round. It allowed them to show how much they had grown since their Week 1 matchup with the NFC South foe, and they did not disappoint with a 23-20 win that sent them to the Divisional round. In typical fashion, Daniels' biggest moments came at the end of the game. He converted a third-and-6 with a 21-yard completion to Brown in the fourth quarter and got the Commanders further into field goal range with a four-yard run on third-and-2. Daniels' final stats for the night: 24-of-35 for 268 yards and two touchdowns with 36 rushing yards on 13 carries.

"The first time we played him, he was a true rookie starting his first NFL game," said then-Buccaneers defensive line/run game coordinator Kacy Rodgers earlier in the week. "Now he has a lot of games under his belt and a lot of games that they won under his belt. Just watching, you can see his confidence is growing, the confidence they have in him, and he keeps the ball moving for them. [He's] a tremendous player."

Washington's win over the Lions earned them a trip to the NFC Championship for the first time since 1991 and a third matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. That game didn't end the way the Commanders hoped it would, as the offense committed five turnovers in a 55-23 loss. Even with the loss, the fact that they got one game away from a Super Bowl berth provided confidence for the team's future.

Daniels sits at the center of all that optimism. He finished with a combined 5,416 yards in the regular season and playoffs to go with 37 touchdowns. There will be plenty of work to do in the offseason to improve the roster, but the Commanders have the most significant piece of the puzzle as they try to become a championship organization.

"He's a young quarterback by birth certificate, not by the tape," Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Jan. 21. "You know, the guy is playing extremely well. You can tell how much they think he's playing so good by the volume of their offense and the things they trust him to do."

The Eagles survived the postseason and earned the right to represent the NFC in New Orleans, but they know they're not done dealing with Daniels or the Commanders. They'll be seeing plenty of "That Kid" in the future.

"And Jayden Daniels, he's a big-time player," Sirianni said after the NFC Championship game. "We're going to be battling for a long time in this division."