Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is off to a spectacular start, and his performance was a pivotal factor in the team’s decisive win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
The Commanders’ offense delivered its best showing of the season, scoring on every possession and racking up a season-high 38 points against the Bengals.
Daniels and his teammates navigated the Bengals’ defense with ease, which is particularly ironic given the comments made by Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt earlier in the week.
“They don’t make him do a lot,” the third-year cornerback remarked to reporters. “They keep it really simple for him. [It’s a] nice college offense [and] Kingsbury’s the OC. They move guys around here and there, but just keep it real simple for him. I heard his pass percentage is very high, but he’s only throwing short routes—some intermediate stuff, quick throws.”
Bengals CB Cam Taylor-Britt broke down Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels’ game: “They don’t make him do a lot. They keep it really simple for him. Nice college offense. (Kliff) Kingsbury’s the OC.” pic.twitter.com/CeJKATlzmF
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) September 20, 2024
While Taylor-Britt highlighted the short passing game, he missed the bigger picture. According to Next Gen Stats, 41 of Daniels’ 53 passing attempts in the first two weeks were indeed short, with 21 behind the line of scrimmage, but labeling the offense as “simple” overlooks its complexity. If it were truly straightforward, the Bengals would have been able to stop it, yet they struggled to do so all night.
The Commanders’ offense was firing on all cylinders. Early on, Terry McLaurin made significant contributions, including a 55-yard catch over Taylor-Britt and an incredible touchdown catch in the fourth quarter. McLaurin also drew a crucial penalty that converted a potential third-and-six into a first down.
Though the offensive line allowed two sacks, it generally kept Daniels protected, hitting him just four times throughout the game. The line also opened up running lanes for Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson, with Ekeler adding a crucial 62-yard kick return to start the second half.
Daniels had his best game yet as a professional, completing the 55-yard pass and the final touchdown to McLaurin while also delivering several strong throws from the pocket. Although he missed a few reads, he demonstrated his ability to go through progressions and make the right decisions.
An offense that scores points on every possession—five of which resulted in touchdowns—doesn’t achieve that by accident. The Commanders even kneeled the clock out on their final possession before halftime.
Daniels finished the game with a career-high 254 passing yards and two touchdown passes, marking a total of 293 yards, which is also a personal best. His three total touchdowns set a new career record, and he shone like a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback just three games into his first season, especially against one of the NFL’s top defensive minds.
Remarkably, Daniels concluded the night with more touchdowns than incompletions, setting a new NFL rookie record with a completion rate of 91.3%, having completed 21 of 23 passes.
BIG TIME PLAYS
BIG TIME PLAYERS
BIG TIME MOMENTS📺 #WASvsCIN ABC pic.twitter.com/1K0rzklNIG
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) September 24, 2024
Moving forward, Taylor-Britt may want to choose his words more carefully when facing Daniels and the Commanders. The rest of the NFL should take note as well; Daniels is proving to be the dynamic player many anticipated he would be, and his future looks bright.
