Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ soft spot for Philadelphia Eagles’ fans remains even after losing two games to the NFC rival

Jayden Daniels has played against the Jalen Hurts-led Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia only twice in his NFL career. Both times, he lost. What stayed with him was the passion of the Philly fans. Their enthusiasm reminded him of a college football environment. Talking about the same in a recent Sports Illustrated interview, Daniels said, “I love Eagles fans. They just embody what Philly brings. To be able to go out there and play against them, it’s kind of just that thing. Their environment is kind of like the closest thing you can get to a college environment.”They say, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” The 25-year-old signal caller for the Washington Commanders seems to follow that advice. Despite being rivals in the NFC East, he enjoys playing against the Philadelphia Eagles because he adores their fans. Not because of the number of times they made him lose, which is twice so far [in Philadelphia], both times in crushing fashion. It was his rookie year, and the field general was still getting to know the NFL, but then he faced relentless champions in Jalen Hurts’ alliance.One of those losses was the brutal NFC Championship game in the 2024 season, when the Eagles secured their Super Bowl spot with a 55-23 win over the Commanders. This may have stayed with Daniels, as he must have seen and felt the love and passion of Philly fans that day.“If you could go out there and beat Philly and Philly as a different type,” Daniels told SI. “But their fans bring it, man, they especially, you know, as we’re rivals with them in the NFC in the East, I love playing against them.” Why does he love them so much? He compares them to the college football environment. He played college football for Arizona State and LSU.CBS Philadelphia’s Josh Sanders reached out to sports psychologist Dr. Joel Fish, who explained the uniqueness of Philly fans. “In Philadelphia, you have three, four generations of people who watched the Phillies [MLB], Eagles [NFL], Sixers [NBA], Flyers [NHL] over time,” Dr. Fish told Sanders. “So you have grandparents who pass it down to their children to their grandchildren.” These generations have shown up at stadiums, carried rivalries for ages, and caused chaos for opposing teams.