5 major observations from Jayden Daniels' performance against the Packers

Jayden Daniels was made for the primetime stage. The brighter the lights, the better he performs, and the Washington Commanders quarterback got the chance to strut his stuff with the national audience watching on in only his second game of the 2025 campaign.

Daniels was solid if not spectacular in Week 1 against the New York Giants. He didn't need to do anything extraordinary thanks to a sterling performance from Washington's defense. The No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft was efficient, protected the football, and did more than enough to get the Commanders off on the right foot.

That sufficed versus a projected bottom-feeder like the Giants. Much more was needed in pursuit of toppling the Super Bowl-chasing Green Bay Packers on the road.

The Packers hold lofty ambitions after securing the services of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons via trade from the Dallas Cowboys. Their opening weekend win over the Detroit Lions made a massive statement. This was a strong early measuring stick for Daniels, and the fact that it was given the Thursday Night Football spotlight only lent further weight to the overall occasion.

As it turned out, it was a lackluster outing from Daniels and the Commanders as they fell to a disapp

With that being said, here are five major observations from Daniels' performance in Green Bay.

Major observations from Jayden Daniels' performance against the Packers

Jayden Daniels was pressurized beyond measure

It was clear from pretty early on that this wasn't going to be an easy evening at the office for Jayden Daniels. The Packers defense came out swinging, putting the signal-caller under immense pressure with disguised coverages and a pass-rush that proved difficult to stop throughout.

The Commanders' offensive line couldn't contain Green Bay's defensive front effectively enough. Micah Parsons was the main tormentor as expected, ruthlessly having his way with anyone he was up against across the line of scrimmage. To make matters worse, they took away Daniels' running lanes, which is his most effective way to keep plays alive.

This made it difficult to generate any momentum. Kliff Kingsbury tried to give Daniels some easy looks, but they didn't get very far. It was a trend that continued throughout the game, and Parsons is quickly becoming the quarterback's neutralizer.

That wasn't entirely surprising. What was eyebrow-raising was the fact that Daniels couldn't find the right answers under duress. This was very out of character for the signal-caller, but he wasn't done any favors by his protection.

Pressure breaks pipes. It's why the Packers mortgaged their future to land Parsons. It's also why the Commanders were second-best throughout the primetime showcase.

Jayden Daniels' frustrating first half

Things could have been a lot worse for the Washington Commanders in the first half. They were somehow only down 11 at the break, which was remarkable when one considers how much the Green Bay Packers dominate all phases of the game.

Jayden Daniels was not exempt from feeling the heat. The LSU product was frustrated. Nothing seemed to be coming off, and the Packers had an answer for everything the Commanders seemed to throw at them.

A couple of key drops, notably from wide receiver Noah Brown, only dented Daniels' progress further. These self-inflicted errors were not needed in such a hostile environment. It's hard enough without creating so many issues yourself, and the signal-caller suffered accordingly.

Daniels played turnover-free football, which was the biggest positive. But aside from that, the first-half stats told their own story.

• 60 percent completion success
• 49 passing yards
• 0 touchdowns
• 0 interceptions
• 1 sack against
• 14 rushing yards (3 carries)
• 65.7 passer rating (ESPN)

Some significant adjustments were needed. It's not that Daniels didn't come out ready to play; it's just that the Packers were well-versed in how to take away his primary threats.

Which brings us nicely to our next point.

Jayden Daniels' connection wth Terry McLaurin

Terry McLaurin spent the entire summer holding out and then holding in to secure a contract extension from the Commanders. Things were resolved after a long standoff, but it has hurt the player's ability to reach his typically high standards.

McLaurin just looks a yard off the pace. He might have stayed in shape during his absence, but being genuinely conditioned for competitive football is something else entirely. And that's without accounting for the chemistry aspect with quarterback Jayden Daniels.

The pair became one of the league's most dynamic tandems last season. It's taking much longer to get going this time around, which is a direct result of missing so many valuable reps over offseason workouts and training camp.

This should get better as the campaign goes on. However, their lack of cohesion was exposed for the second straight week. If it goes on for much longer, the Commanders have a real problem on their hands.

The wideout eventually finished with five receptions from nine targets for 48 receiving yards. Something is amiss right now, so things better sharpen up between Daniels and McLaurin during the mini-bye week and throughout the rest of 2025.

McLaurin got his money. But based on the first two games, it's come at a price.

Packers answered Jayden Daniels' superpower

Jeff Hafley is going to be an NFL head coach one day. The Green Bay Packers' defensive coordinator enhanced his stock with a masterful game plan to take away Jayden Daniels' superpower.

When plays aren't developing as expected, Daniels has no trouble getting out on the move and using his dynamic rushing ability to keep things ticking over. Only the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers had an answer for it last season. The Packers added their name to the list.

Any time Daniels threatened to take off, he was swarmed. The edges maintained their gap discipline, and the linebackers were explosive enough to cut off any running lanes before the signal-caller could capitalize on them.

This was a prime example of what can happen when the NFL's youngest team plays the oldest. Daniels cannot do it alone, and once the rushing aspect of his game gets nullified, he's relying on people to get open and the offensive line to stand their ground for a little bit longer.

Neither of those happened effectively enough. However, the Cajon High School product deserves enormous credit for hanging in there and keeping Washington in the fight.

Daniels isn't going to be restricted to 17 rushing yards from seven carries every week. But when he does, Washington needs a better plan to keep the offense rolling.

A reality check for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders

This was always the danger. Playing a contender on a short week, who've not had to travel as yet, had the scope to bring complications. That proved to be the case for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders.

It was a humbling defeat — one that represented an early reality check. It's early days, but there is a huge amount of hard work ahead before this team can consider itself among the Super Bowl favorites.

Everything was disjointed offensively, for the most part. The wide receivers were locked down in coverage. The Packers were able to generate pressure at will with just four linemen. There were sloppy individual errors that held them back. Several influential figures got banged up to compound Washington's misery. And Daniels couldn't get into a rhythm.

It's one defeat. The Commanders would have done well to get anything out of this one. Even so, this should knock them back down to earth.

Daniels is resolute enough to shake this off and focus on the next challenge. This was not his best performance, but he's far from Washington's biggest problem. What's important now is fixing the flaws and ensuring they are ready to hit the ground running in Week 3 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Being 1-1 at this stage isn't the end of the world. Daniels must lead the way to prove this was a blip and nothing more.