Former Steelers HC Makes Shocking Jayden Daniels Statement

Few rookie quarterbacks have ever matched what Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger accomplished back in 2004, but Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders is certainly giving him a run for his money.

With an upset victory over the No. 1-seeded Detroit Lions in the Divisional Round of the playoffs last weekend, Daniels tied Roethlisberger's record of 14 wins for a first-year signal caller. Now, he and the Commanders are heading into their first NFC Championship game since 1991 against their fierce rivals in the Philadelphia Eagles.

Amidst Daniels' magical run, Roethlisberger's former head coach and current CBS Sports analyst Bill Cowher agreed with the sentiment that the former has been more impressive than the latter when comparing their initial seasons in the NFL during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.

"Yeah, I agree," Cowher said. "I think Jayden Daniels has had a lot more put on his plate than Ben did. Ben eased into it as the season went along. We gave him more and more as he became more comfortable with what he was doing."

Cowher, of course, had one of the best seats in the house while Roethlisberger threw for 2,621 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 13 starts as a rookie after taking over for the injured Tommy Maddox in Week 3. He was named the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Steelers to the AFC Championship, though they'd ultimately fall to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

Daniels, on the other hand, threw for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions while tacking on 891 yards and six scores on the ground during the regular season.

In Washington's two playoff victories as the No. 6 seed thus far, the first of which came against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round, he's tossed for 567 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 87.

Daniels was lauded as a potential franchise quarterback upon being selected No. 2 overall in the 2024 draft, but not even his staunchest supporters could've forecasted that he'd guide the Commanders as far as he has.

Cowher doesn't think he's done either, as he drew parallels between Washington and the Pittsburgh squad that won Super Bowl XL over the Seattle Seahawks in Roethlisberger's second season.

"In 2005, Ben's second year, we started off 7-2," Cowher said. "So did Washington. We lost three in a row to go 7-5. So did Washington. We won out the rest of that season and entered the playoffs as a No. 6 seed. So did Washington. And we had a quarterback who was 23-years-old in his second year. Jayden Daniels is 24 in his first year. I've kind of seen this story unfold before."

If Washington were to defeat Philadelphia, Daniels would become the first rookie signal caller to ever start, or potentially win, the Big Game. There's a long way to go before that's a reality, but it's still a testament to the heights the 24-year-old has reached this season.

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