Jayden Daniels carries the Commanders into the playoffs by running as much as throwing

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Jayden Daniels is running all over opponents and away with the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. His legs are arguably as big a reason the Washington Commanders are heading to the playoffs as his right, throwing arm.

“That guy's an absolute beast,” Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Sunday night after Daniels torched his team for 127 yards on 16 carries. “He’s a tough tackle. He’s hell on wheels.”

Daniels' wheels have become the key to Washington's running game, even as Brian Robinson Jr. has struggled to regain the foothold he had earlier this season. The rookie quarterback has been the Commanders' leading rusher in half of their games, including four of the past five, and his mobility opens up everything for the NFL's fifth-highest-scoring offense.

“He is a dangerous player — and not by design that some of these runs took place," coach Dan Quinn said. “I cringe sometimes, but I also know what the competitor is, too.”

Daniels passed Robert Griffin III — Washington's last best hope to turn the franchise around back in 2012 before things went horribly wrong — for the most yards by a rookie QB. His 864 yards on the ground are a team high, ahead of Robinson and with a better average per carry, and Daniels has rushed for six touchdowns while throwing for 25.

Those 31 combined TDs are the third-most by a rookie QB behind Justin Herbert's 36 in 2020 and Cam Newton's 35 in 2011. His five in the final 30 seconds of regulation or overtime is the most by any player at the position since at least the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

“He’s the most mature rookie I’ve ever been around,” said tight end Zach Ertz, who caught his second touchdown pass Sunday from Daniels to beat Atlanta in overtime. “Whether it was OTAs when we’re working two-minute drill against the defense or with the opportunity to go to the playoffs or solidify ourselves with an opportunity to go to the playoffs, he’s literally the same guy.”

For a second consecutive week, the Commanders' defense shut down the opponent's running game after a rough start. Sure, the Eagles lost Jalen Hurts to a concussion and that put the focus on Saquon Barkley and, yes, Morris and the Falcons inexplicably stopped handing Bijan Robinson the ball and left five timeouts unused for some reason.

But, either way, it worked. Robinson had just 8 yards rushing in the second half after racking up 82 and two touchdowns in the first.

“We just went back to our technique and fundamentals: keep it simple for stopping the run and keep it on the passing game,” linebacker Frankie Luvu said.

Washington's banged-up offensive line got bulldozed at times by the Falcons, allowing Daniels to get sacked five times for a loss of 31 yards.

Playing without starting right tackle Andrew Wylie because of a groin injury, replacement Cornelius Lucas left with a groin injury and center Tyler Biadasz with an ankle injury while rookie Brandon Coleman struggled on the other side. The O-line also had a handful of penalties to negate big gains.

Chris Rodriguez Jr., one of just a dozen draft picks left from the 33 made during coach Ron Rivera's time in charge from 2020-23, has emerged as a reliable runner when Robinson needs a breather or a change of pace is required. He had the only non-Daniels touchdown against Atlanta, a 2-yard run into the end zone to put Washington ahead in the fourth quarter.

“Chris has a significant role here with us," Quinn said. "He plays square and downhill. And so sometimes between Robinson and him and Jeremy (McNichols), when they bring another guy in fresh and ready to go fight, it’s a big deal.”

Veteran cornerback Michael Davis got thrust into an unenviable position of defending Drake London, with Marshon Lattimore out after aggravating his hamstring injury. London finished with seven catches for 106 yards.

The Commanders acquired Lattimore from New Orleans at the trade deadline to get a lock-down defender and they need him back on the field to make any kind of playoff run.

Even with the NFC's sixth seed and a more favorable matchup at Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams (as opposed to a game at Philadelphia) at stake, Lattimore, Wylie, Biadasz and others could rest instead of playing Sunday at Dallas. The key is getting them healthy for the wild-card round.

$750,000 — Earned by Ertz on Sunday night by hitting $250,000 incentives for six-plus TDs, 600-plus yards and 60-plus catches this season.

Beat the Cowboys without CeeDee Lamb, and the Buccaneers and Rams are the first-round matchup. Washington opened as a 3-point road favorite on BetMGM Sportsbook.

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]Washington Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (36) celebrates his touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz scores on a touchdown reception against Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates his touchdown reception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) scores the winning touchdown against Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford (20) in overtime during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) scrambles against Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell (24) in overtime during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) scrambles away from Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Brandon Parker (75) in overtime during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 30-24. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) scrambles between Atlanta Falcons defensive end Grady Jarrett (97) and defensive tackle David Onyemata during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) carries on a keeper during the second half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

SYDNEY (AP) — Two gunmen attacked a Hannukah celebration on a Sydney beach Sunday, killing at least 11 people in what Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called an act of antisemitism and terrorism.

The massacre at one of Australia’s most popular and iconic beaches followed a wave of antisemitic attacks that have roiled the country over the past year, although the authorities didn’t suggest those episodes and Sunday’s shooting were connected. It is the deadliest shooting for almost three decades in a country with strict gun control laws.

One gunman was fatally shot by police and the second, who was arrested, was in critical condition, authorities said. Police said one of the gunmen was known to the security services, but that there had been no specific threat.

At least 29 people were confirmed wounded, including two police officers, said Mal Lanyon, the police commissioner for New South Wales state, where Sydney is located.

Police said officers were examining a number of suspicious items, including several improvised explosive devices found in one of the suspect’s cars.

“This attack was designed to target Sydney's Jewish community,” the state's premier, Chris Minns, said. The massacre was declared a terrorist attack due to the event targeted and weapons used, Lanyon said.

Hundreds had gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea event celebrating the start of the eight-day Hanukkah festival.

Chabad, an Orthodox Jewish movement that runs scores of centers around the world that are popular with Jewish travelers and sponsors large public events during major Jewish holidays, identified one of the dead as Rabbi Eli Schlanger, assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and a key organizer of the event.

Video footage filmed by onlookers appeared to show two gunmen with long guns firing from a footbridge leading to the beach. One dramatic clip broadcast on Australian television showed a man appearing to tackle and disarm one of the gunmen, before pointing the man’s weapon at him, then setting the gun on the ground.

Minns called the man a “genuine hero.”

Police said emergency services were called to Campbell Parade in Bondi about 6.45 p.m. responding to reports of shots being fired.

Lachlan Moran, 32, from Melbourne, told The Associated Press he was waiting for his family nearby when he heard shots. He dropped the beer he was carrying for his brother and ran.

“You heard a few pops, and I freaked out and ran away. ... I started sprinting. I just had that intuition. I sprinted as quickly as I could," Moran said. He said he heard shooting off and on for about five minutes.

“Everyone just dropped all their possessions and everything and were running and people were crying and it was just horrible," Moran said.

The violence erupted at the end of a hot summer day when thousands had flocked to the beach.

“It was the most perfect day and then this happened,” said local resident Catherine Merchant.

“Everyone was just running and there were bullets and there were so many of them and we were really scared,” she told Australia’s ABC News.

Albanese told reporters in the Australian capital, Canberra, that he was “devastated” by the massacre.

“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith. An act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation,” Albanese said.

“Amidst this vile act of violence and hate will emerge a moment of national unity where Australians across the board will embrace their fellow Australians of Jewish faith,” he said.

World leaders expressed condolences. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the “ghastly terrorist attack” and offered his condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was being updated on the “appalling attack.” Police in London said they would step up security at Jewish sites.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a post on X that “The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Australia targeting a Jewish celebration. Antisemitism has no place in this world.”

Australia, a country of 28 million people, is home to about 117,000 Jews, according to official figures. Antisemitic incidents, including assaults, vandalism, threats and intimidation, surged more than threefold in the country during the year after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel launched a war on Hamas in Gaza in response, the government's Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal reported in July.

Throughout last summer, the country was rocked by spate of antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne. Synagogues and cars were torched, businesses and homes graffitied and Jews attacked in those cities, where 85% of the nation’s Jewish population live.

Albanese in August blamed Iran for two of the attacks and cut diplomatic ties to Tehran. The authorities didn't make such claims about Sunday's massacre.

Israel urged Australia's government to address crimes targeting Jews.

“The heart of the entire nation of Israel misses a beat at this very moment,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog said. “We repeat our alerts time and time again to the Australian government to seek action and fight against the enormous wave of antisemitism which is plaguing Australian society.”

Mass shootings in Australia are extremely rare. A 1996 massacre in the Tasmanian town of Port Arthur, where a lone gunman killed 35 people, prompted the government to drastically tighten gun laws and made it much more difficult for Australians to acquire firearms.

Significant mass shootings this century included two murder-suicides with death tolls of five people in 2014, and seven in 2018, in which gunmen killed their own families and themselves.

In 2022, six people were killed in a shootout between police and Christian extremists at a rural property in Queensland state.

McGuirk reported from Melbourne, Australia, and Graham-McLay from Wellington, New Zealand. Associated Press writer Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, contributed to this report.

A small Christmas tree is at the center of an abandoned holiday picnic at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Bystanders stay where police cordon off an area at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers standby at Bondi Beach after a reported shooting in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Emergency workers transport a person on a stretcher after a reported shooting at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)