Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of a season-long series on a breakout star from the past week of NFL action. The Week 4 winner: Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
After the Commanders’ 42-14 rout of the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dan Quinn told the assembled media that he was really proud of Jayden Daniels. He said that directly to the No. 2 overall pick, too.
After all, Daniels was able to compartmentalize any emotions he had about being back in Arizona. Leading up to the game, the Commanders practiced at Arizona State, where he played for three seasons before transferring to LSU. His departure from ASU was ugly. Video surfaced of his former Sun Devils teammates taking things from his locker after he announced his decision to leave (months after recommitting to ASU for his senior season), with one person saying Daniels “sucks anyways.”
The way Daniels prepared for the Cardinals, Quinn said, you would never have known the backstory.
“I just thought he handled it like a real G,” Quinn said.
He looked like one on the field Sunday, too — as he has throughout the first month of his NFL career.
Daniels completed 86.7% of his passes (26-of-30) for 233 yards and a touchdown against an interception and added eight carries for 47 yards and another score as a rusher, guiding Washington to its highest single-game point total in eight years.
He’s the first quarterback in NFL history to have two consecutive games with an 85% completion rate or higher (minimum of 15 attempts in each game), according to FOX Sports research. His league-leading 82.1% completion rate is the highest of any player in a four-game span at any point in their career since at least 1950, per NFL Research.
And despite his thin frame, the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Daniel has proven to be a threat as a rusher as well. He has 46 carries for 218 yards and four touchdowns, joining Robert Griffin III as the only quarterbacks since the merger to eclipse 200 rushing yards in their first four games, according to FOX Sports research.
“I didn’t have any expectations,” Daniels said Sunday of the hot start to his NFL career. “How much can we learn and how can we keep growing? For me personally, how much can I learn and keep growing? How fast can I learn to become a pro? I’m going to keep going from there.”
Daniels has led one of the NFL’s most explosive offenses. The Commanders rank third in the league with 30.3 points per game. They’ve scored more points each week than they did the week before. They’ve punted just once in the past three games. Washington is one of just two teams in the Super Bowl era that has had more scoring drives than incomplete passes in its first four games of a season, according to Next Gen Stats.
The No. 2 overall pick, Daniels has brought hope to a franchise that has languished in quarterback purgatory and is looking to establish a new culture with new ownership and leadership.
At 3-1, including a three-game winning streak, the Commanders currently own sole possession of first place in the NFC East.
“He is the answer,” defensive tackle Jonathan Allen said after Washington’s Week 3 victory over Cincinnati.
Why Daniels was successful in Week 4
His patience, for one reason.
Two plays stand out in this regard — a third-and-13 conversion to veteran wide receiver Noah Brown in the third quarter, and a 17-yard completion to fellow rookie Luke McCaffrey on second-and-15 outside the red zone early in the fourth quarter, which set up a touchdown to Terry McLaurin. Daniels appeared to get to his third read on both plays.
That speaks to his protection — the Cardinals didn’t sack Daniels all game — but also his calmness and control going through his progressions in the pocket, which young quarterbacks often struggle with. Arizona couldn’t speed up Daniels, who does a terrific job keeping his eyes downfield when the play breaks down or the pocket collapses. He’s always looking to throw before he hits the line of scrimmage, at which point he’s a major threat as a runner.
But offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury designs runs for him, too. That’s how Daniels scored from nine yards out in the third quarter Sunday. RPOs and read options are sprinkled throughout the Commanders’ playbook as well, keeping defenses on their toes with the threat of Daniels’ rushing ability. He is just the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to run for four touchdowns in his first four games, joining Griffin, Cam Newton and Anthony Richardson.
Daniels has surgical precision as a passer, too. He has a 90.5% completion rate for 521 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions on passes up to nine yards beyond the line of scrimmage, per Pro Football Focus.
Among quarterbacks with a minimum of 50 pass attempts, his average time to throw is 2.52 seconds, tied with Aaron Rodgers for the fourth-fastest in the league (Andy Dalton, Tua Tagovailoa, Baker Mayfield have faster times), per Next Gen Stats.
“I think he’s really confident in what he’s seeing,” McLaurin said Sunday. “I think his preparation is very unique for a guy who just got into the league, and that was him the first day we met him when he got here in the spring. His preparation, the way he attacks practice, the way he’s starting to conduct the film sessions at the end of the week for the receivers and the tight ends.
“It’s no surprise when he goes out there and executes at a high level.”
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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