It seemed as if Washington’s Commanders had been wandering in the wilderness for the past decade.
But as the old saying goes, even a broken clock is right twice a day, and the Commanders struck gold in signing Jayden Daniels.
Under new owner Josh Harris, the Commanders were unwilling to give up the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. They stuck with Daniels, the dual-threat quarterback who had just won the Heisman at LSU. He was immediately named Washington’s starting quarterback.
Without his college teammate Malik Nabers, who is already doing great things for the New York Giants, skeptics wondered how Daniels would fare in an organization known for its failed quarterbacks.
But Daniels proved on Monday Night Football that he is a different breed. In a matchup against fellow LSU Heisman winner Joe Burrow, Daniels and the Commanders exploded for 38 points. Daniels had more touchdowns (three) than interceptions (two). Washington dropped the Cincinnati Bengals to 0-3 by defeating them 38-33.
He threw for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns while rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown.
With a big fourth down with less than five minutes left in the game, Daniels convinced new Commanders coach Dan Quinn to go for it. Daniels knew another first down would all but seal the win for Washington.
Quinn trusted his rookie quarterback, who threw a pass to Zach Ertz for a first down and sealed the huge prime-time win for the Commanders.
Washington is 2-1 with back-to-back wins over the Bengals and Giants. Their only loss came in the season opener against Baker Mayfield’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It’s hard to win games in the NFL. That’s a fact. It’s even harder when you have a 23-year-old rookie quarterback and a brand new coaching staff. At 2-1, no one outside of the most hardcore DC fans is claiming the Commanders will win the NFC East.
But in a somewhat suspect NFC, if Daniels continues his winning streak, maybe they can make the playoffs.
Expectations are a scary thing. It’s uncomfortable to put a timeline on success. Regardless of how the season ends record-wise, the future is bright in Washington. It truly felt like a star was born before our eyes on Monday Night Football.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury may have found his place in the NFL. Even though it took just six years, Washington may have finally found a competent quarterback to hand the ball to Terry McLaurin, who somehow has four straight seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards.
Gone are the days of Sam Howell, Carson Wentz, Taylor Heinicke, and Kyle Allen. Washington has an answer at quarterback.
