Jayden Daniels Ties Ben Roethlisberger’s Rookie Record
Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's record for the most wins as a rookie QB could soon be broken.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels broke a record held by Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during the Commanders’ 45-31 win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Divisional Round on Saturday.
Roethlisberger had held the record for the most wins by a rookie quarterback in NFL history with 14. However, that record has now been matched by Daniels, who won his 14th game this season on Saturday.
Like Roethlisberger, Daniels has had an impressive rookie year. He led the Commanders to a 12-5 finish in the regular season and then went on the road to get a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to set up Saturday’s upset of the top-seceded Lions.
With that win, Daniels will now have a chance to break Roethlisberger’s record with a win the NFC Championship Game. The Commanders will face the winner of Sunday’s Divisional Round game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angels Rams.
As a rookie, Roethlisberger went undefeated (13-0) in the regular season and was victorious in his first postseason game against the New York Jets in the divisional round of the playoffs. He and the Steelers eventually lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game, but it was a historic rookie year, nonetheless.
Daniels, the former Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, has proven to be the real deal this season as he’s thrown for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 891 yards and six touchdowns.
Daniels is earning his spot in history, just as Roethlisberger did back in 2004, but it’s not hard to imagine him doing just that on Saturday.
