How Commanders' Jayden Daniels impressed a Washington legend

Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels produced a breakout performance in this past Monday's 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals that improved the Washington Commanders to 2-1 on the season. 

Washington franchise legend, one-time Super Bowl Most Valuable Player and current team senior adviser Doug Williams reviewed the game film and, like many within the NFL community, was thoroughly impressed by what he saw from the second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft. 

"The thing you really notice about him is that he’s in control the whole time," Williams said about Daniels during a chat with Andscape's Jason Reid. "He’s never in a hurry. For a rookie, that’s kind of unheard of. Again, you just don’t see rookies have that type of composure, especially [after only three starts]. Believe me, I know." 

Daniels remarkably completed 21-of-23 pass attempts (91.3%) for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the primetime win at Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium. While he failed to guide the Commanders on a touchdown drive the previous week against the New York Giants, he did enough to earn a 21-18 victory. 

"We have a rookie quarterback starting, a rookie, and we haven’t punted the ball in two weeks," Williams explained. "...[Monday] night was really something. The last two games, with no punts, you don’t expect that. But really, all three games, you can’t ask for more from a rookie so far." 

According to Pro Football Reference, Daniels heads into this weekend ranked seventh in the NFL among qualified players with a 66.7 adjusted QBR and third with a 51.8% passing success rate on the season. Per the StatMuse website, he leads the league among quarterbacks with three rushing touchdowns and is second among signal-callers with 171 rushing yards. 

"You’re gonna be hard-pressed to ever see a rookie quarterback doing what he’s doing after only three games," Williams added about Daniels. "And the things he’s doing, he’s doing it because of the person he is. No matter what, he’s the same guy every day. He’s cool. He’s selective. That’s what I’m going to say about that." 

As of Friday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Commanders as 3.5-point underdogs for this Sunday's matchup at the 1-2 Arizona Cardinals. Daniels could make that line look downright silly if he builds upon what he achieved this past Monday.