Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is extremely good. Photograph by Nic Antaya/Getty ImagesOn Sunday, the Washington Commanders will take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the franchise’s first NFC title game in over thirty years. Yes, you read that right, over thirty years. The last time Washington fans saw a season this successful was when a dominant squad led by QB Mark Rypien crushed the Detroit Lions in the 1992 conference championship at RFK Stadium—and then beat the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. This weekend, all eyes will be on Commanders QB-slash-franchise savior Jayden Daniels, who could become the first starting rookie QB to make it to the Super Bowl. But he’s hardly the only reason to watch. If you’re headed to a friend’s house or neighborhood bar for a watch party on Sunday—and don’t know much about this year’s Cinderella-story squad, other than the fact that Dan Snyder isn’t involved anymore—here’s a cheat sheet:  New Kids, Coaches, and Vets on the Block The Commanders’ shift from the Möbius strip mediocrity of the Snyder years to their current (and largely unexpected!) excellence started at the top. Majority team owner Josh Harris’s investment group purchased the franchise for a record $6.05 billion in July 2023, and in January of last year brought in Adam Peters, previously successful with the San Francisco 49ers, as the team’s general manager. Next came Dan Quinn, a former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator with ties to the DMV as an alumni of Maryland’s Salisbury University, as head coach. Joining Quinn were Kliff Kingsbury as offensive coordinator and Joe Whitt Jr. as defensive coordinator. The Commanders selected Daniels, a Heisman Trophy winner out of LSU, with the second pick in the 2024 draft. Other new faces include linebacker Bobby Wagner, running back Austin Ekeler, tight end Zach Ertz, and cornerbacks Mike Sainristil and Marshon Lattimore. According to Ben Standig, a senior NFL writer for The Athletic who covers the Commanders, the changes have paid dividends on the field and in the locker room. “Coming out of the Dan Snyder era, there’s been this sense of optimism,” Standig tells Washingtonian, noting that Quinn and Peters have fostered a play-for-each-other ethos that has been infectous. “It’s translating into actual wins and production. This is the most sum-of-the-parts team I can recall in pro sports.” The vibes, apparently, are immaculate. What to Know About the Offense  Daniels is—and please forgive us—the Commander in Chief. This week, the Professional Football Writers of America voted Daniels the 2024 Rookie of the Year for a season Standig called likely “the best performance by a rookie quarterback, ever.” A dual threat, Daniels throws the ball with incredible accuracy and has rushed for 891 yards, the second-most among NFL QBs this season behind Baltimore’s always-dangerous Lamar Jackson. Still, Daniels’ best quality might be his exceptional composure, which Standig calls his “secret sauce. “Forget being a rookie, just for anybody, he’s got a level of poise and calm about him that’s off the charts,” Standig says. “He’s never rattled.” Daniels leads an offense featuring standout running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Ekeler, wide receivers Terry McLaurin, Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown, and tight end Ertz. After struggling to find holes during the last month, Robinson came up big during last Saturday’s road victory over heavily-favored Detroit. Standig says the Commanders need to “keep finding ways to create opportunities for him so that he can run downhill.” [Editor’s note for non-football knowers: this means running toward the end zone, and not sideways to evade opposing tacklers]. Something else to watch for against the Eagles? How the Commanders fill the shoes of dominant offensive lineman Sam Cosmi, who tore a knee ligament against the Lions. Tackle Trent Scott filled in for Cosmi last week, and Standig says the Commanders could alter their blocking schemes this weekend to give him additional help. Whatever the team does, Standig adds, it will be “a really pivotal matchup to create space for Robinson and give Jayden Daniels time.” What to Know About the Defense Wagner’s addition has been transformative. Standig calls the veteran linebacker “the definition of a leader” and says he has boosted morale on both sides of the ball, acting “like a big brother for Daniels.” Meanwhile, 36th overall draft pick Johnny Newton, a defensive tackle from the University of Illinois, has been an immediate contributor. The Commanders’ defense will be tested by the Eagles’ dominant offense. Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley’s 2,329 total rushing yards (regular season and playoffs) are the third most rushing yards ever in a season, and Standing says the Commanders may have no good answers for him—much like basically every other defense in the NFL. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts suffered a knee injury last week; while he’s expected to play, he likely won’t be at his best. Standig says the Commanders’ best bet may be to focus on stopping Barkley while encouraging Hurts to throw the ball: “The key is, it’s not just putting eight in the box [Editor’s note for non-football knowers No. 2: this basically means bringing eight of your 11 defenders near the line of scrimmage so they can stuff opposing runners, at the risk of making your defense more vulnerable to passes], it’s staying disciplined, and ultimately making Jalen Hurts have to beat them,” Standig says. “Hurts is not 100 percent.” Previous Matchups This Season The longtime division rivals split their two regular season meetings: the Eagles won 26-18 on November 14, while the Commanders won 36-33 on December 22—overcoming a 13-point fourth quarter deficit to win the game on a Daniels touchdown pass with six seconds left, one of a number of games the Commanders have won this season in the final moments. How Do I Watch? We thought you’d never ask! The game is Sunday at 3 PM on Fox.The post What to Know About The Commanders Ahead of Sunday’s NFC Championship Game first appeared on Washingtonian.