After four games, Daniels is Commander In Chief
Washington's rookie QB remains on top of his game at Arizona
It takes very little propulsion to get the hype train going in Washington.
Now the DMV has Jayden Daniels, with an attitude, an arm and two feet that would have already pocketed the hopes and dreams of any NFL city, For this team at this time, Daniels has needed four games to become a savior. Maybe that’s unfair, but so is an .821 completion percentage. No quarterback since 1950 has done that over any four-game span. Only three others (Cam Newton, Anthony Richardson and ex-Washington QB Robert Griffin III) have run for four touchdowns in their first four NFL games in the Super Bowl era, as Daniels has. More important, the Commanders are 3-1, and, with the Eagles struggling to recapture 2023, have a decent shot at winning the NFC East.
In his second and third games, Daniels ran an offense that didn’t punt or turn over the ball. The Commanders scored on all possessions that weren’t kneeldowns. In all their games and years, Tom Brady, Pat Mahomes, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning did that a total of two times. Then Daniels got Washington into the end zone on their first two possessions at Arizona Sunday before he threw a pick, the first turnover of his NFL career. Still, Washington only had one punt in what became a 42-14 road win.
Daniels was 26 for 30 for 233 yards. Last week in Cincinnati, he was 21 for 23. He has revitalized receiver Terry McLaurin, and new coach Dan Quinn has brought his hungry defensive philosophies, with Bobby Wagner oftein playing on the other side of the scrimmage line. Veterans like Austin Ekeler, Zack Ertz and Jeremy Chinn are there to make plays and add perspective.
The Commanders were 10 for 13 on third/fourth downs and 4 for 5 in the red zone, and Brian Robinson chugged for 101 yards in 21 carries. Jeremy McNichols, one of the great vagabond stories in the NFL, ran for two touchdowns. The Commanders are his 12th NFL stop. He went to Boise State but grew up in Southern California, and played on one of Snoop Dogg’s youth teams. That’s a great credit to McNichols, but it’s notable that so many misfits find a fit when there’s an epochal quarterback around.
Daniels is a shining example of why quarterbacks should be curated, not rushed. He started 55 college games at Arizona State and LSU, threw 89 touchdowns with only 20 interceptions. He is 6-foot-4, not a fragile jitterbug, and when he runs it’s usually with purpose. He basically won the Heisman Trophy last year when he passed and ran for 606 yards against Florida. There is little he hasn’t seen.
He was picked second in the NFL draft.. The Bears took Caleb Williams first. That was a given; don’t trust anyone who suddenly tells you Daniels should have been the man all along. And Williams has shown progress, with the Bears 2-2 and with the coaches trying to sort out all the new offensive weapons they have. But the Commanders were in more of a transition, with new coaches and a much weaker nucleus, and Daniels has shifted the shape of the whole organization. He also appears to be loving every minute of it. Actual smiles in our nation’s capital? Maybe he should on somebody’s ticket. Instead, he’s just selling them.
Minnesota 31, Green Bay 29
– This was a northerly version of Alabama-Georgia. The Vikings (4-0) romped to a 28-0 lead, with Shaq Griffin and Kamu Grugier-Hill intercepting passes by Jordan Love, who was back in the lineup after a knee injury. But, just before the end of the first quarter, Jalon Nailor muffed a Packers’ punt and Bo Melton jumped on it. Love connected with Jayden Reed for a touchdown that made it 28-7.
– Love put together an 87-yard drive to begin the fourth quarter and then hit Tucker Kraft with a 13-yard touchdown after Sam Darnold lost a fumble on a sack by Keishan Nixon. A 2-pointer to Kraft made it 28-22 and the Lambeau faithful seized hope. But Darold, finding happiness with his fourth NFL team, hit Justin Jefferson for a 27-yarder that set up a field goal and a 9-point lead. Minnesota could have made it 34-22 but passed up a field goal and was stopped on fourth-and-1 at the Green Bay four, and Love again piloted a long drive, this one 96 yards in 1:22. But the Packers (2-2) couldn’t corral the onside kick, and two states finally exhaled.
– Love chucked it 54 times for 389 yards and four TDs while being hit 10 times, but the three interceptions hurt. Xavier McKinney picked off a pass for the fourth consecutive Green Bay game. The Vikings gave up seven explosive plays for the second time this season, but Darnold now has 11 touchdown passes.
Kansas City 17, L.A. Chargers 10
– The Chiefs improved to 4-0, and their combined victory margin is only 20 points. This time, it came down to Patrick Mahomes’ 54-yard TD pass to rookie Xavier Worthy, and a defense that took full advantage of the Chargers’ offensive line injuries, with tackles Joe Alt and Rayshawn Slater. Justin Herbert’s ankle is still sore, and the Chargers (2-2) didn’t score an offensive touchdown aside from Herbert’s laser shot to rookie Ladd McConkey.
– Mahomes reconnected with Travis Kelce, finding him seen times for 89 yards. But Rashee Rice, the club’s most effective receiver so far, tore an ACL. He did so when he and Mahomes collided, as both chased the Chargers’ Kristian Fulton, who was running with an interception.
– Typically, the Chiefs took advantage of two Charger penalties on what turned out to be the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Samaje Perine ran it in from two yards. Illustrating Kansas City’s depth, Mecole Hardman got it started with a 12-yard punt return, and Mahomes hit backup tight end Noah Gray, a former fifth-round pick from Duke, for 29 yards.
Baltimore 35, Buffalo 10
– Talk about hitting somebody in the mouth. The Ravens made Buffalo punt, then put the football in the hands of Derrick Henry, who gave it to the referee in the end zone 87 yards later. Baltimore wound up rushing for 271 yards in 34 carries, which dovetails with 274 yards last week against the Cowboys. In those two weeks the Ravens have scored seven TDs in seven red zone visits.
– It was Buffalo’s first loss in four games, and Josh Allen was relieved after getting sacked three times and completing 16 of 29. The longest of Buffalo’s 23 running plays went eight yards, and the Ravens held the Bills to 231 yards total.
– Henry ended the night with 199 yards on 24 carries and Lamar Jackson ran for 54 on six. The dominance on the ground allowed Jackson to pass judiciously, hitting 13 of 18 for 156 yards.
Tampa Bay 33, Philadelphia 16
– Few teams need a bye week more than the Eagles (2-2), who tried to play Tampa Bay without receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith and right tackle Lane Johnson. Jalen Hurts was sacked six times, and the Eagles’ offense scored one touchdown. Tampa Bay raced to a 24-0 lead before Philly made a first down, and hiked its record to 3-1.
– Baker Mayfield was sacked seven times by Denver last week, but it didn’t stop him from airing it out here. He was 30-for-47 with no interceptions. Fourteen of those footballs went in the direction of Mike Evans, who became the franchise’s alltime scorer and caught eight for 94 yards.
– It might not have made a difference, but the Eagles didn’t need to see rookie Cooper DeJean muff a punt that helped put Tampa Bay ahead 21-0 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Eagles had 227 net yards, and got two catches from Jahan Dotson on the outside, none from Johnny Wilson.
Indianapolis 27, Pittsburgh 24
– The Steelers (3-1) made enough big plays, including three pass plays of 38 or more yards, but not enough little ones to stay unbeaten. They quickly fell behind 17-0 and never caught up, thanks to lost fumbles by Justin Fields and George Pickens, and a botched shotgun exchange between Fields and center Nate Frazier that forced Pittsburgh into second-and-22 from its own 30 with 1:14 left. Fields couldn’t convert a fourth-and-11 to Van Jefferson, and the Colts (2-2) were able to kneel to win.
– The kneeler was 39-year-old Joe Flacco, who warmed up quickly when Anthony Richardson got hurt twice on designed running plays. Flacco was 16 for 26 for two touchdowns. Michael Pittman caught six for 113 yards, and Jonathan Taylor ran 21 times for 88 before he went out with an ankle.
– The Colts never let T.J. Watt sack either quarterback,, and they rolled up 404 yards on a defense that had given up only six explosive plays in the first four games, but five in this one. The Steelers also failed to force a turnover. Fields was their leading rusher, with 55 in 10 carries, but he also hit 22 of 34 passes for 312 yards.
Chicago 24, LA. Rams 18
– The Bears (2-2) are always best when they fall back on their defense, as they did Sunday, with Jaquon Brisker’s late interception of Matthew Stafford, and three sacks and seven tackles for loss overall. Brisker had two of those and participated in 12 tackles, and his sack in the fourth quarter forced the Rams to settle for a field goal.. The Bears also bottled up the Rams in the end zone, denying them touchdowns on three of four trips.
– Caleb Williams didn’t commit a turnover, and the Bears asked the rookie to throw only 23 passes, as opposed to 53 last week. He was hit only three times, and he got DeAndre Swift involved with seven catches, and Swift also contributed a 36-yard touchdown run. Williams’ passer rating of 106.6 was his best yet.
– Rookie Jordan Whittington was the most active receiver for the Rams (1-3), with six catches, as the club still does without Cooper Kupp and Puca Nacua. Kyren Williams had 94 yards in 19 carries and has rushed for six touchdowns, including at least one in each game.
.Atlanta 26, New Orleans 24
– The Falcons still have issues and didn’t get an offensive touchdown Sunday but they’ll find it easier to face their problems after a win. Yonghoe Koo, one of the top clutch kickers in modern times, nailed a 58-yarder after an interference call on Paulson Adebo put him in range.
– In one of the saltiest rivalries in the league, the Saints (2-2) came to Atlanta and outgained the Falcons (2-2) 366-315 and got three TDs from their offense. The Falcons got their touchdowns when Rashid Shaheed muffed a punt on the goal line and Atlanta’s Khaderel Hodge recovered it in the end zone, and when Troy Andersen scored on a pick-6. Kirk Cousins’ passer rating was a puny 68.5, and Bijan Robinson gained just 28 yards on seven tries.
– Andersen was in on 16 tackles for Atlanta, which held New Orleans to one explosive play all day. The Saints had the ball for 36:42, and went ahead on Alvin Kamara’s touchdown with a minute left.
Denver 10, N.Y. Jets 9
– Is this the return of the Orange Crush? The Broncos had five sacks, to go with seven last week at Tampa Bay. They also denied the Jets 13 times on 17 third-down situations, and held Garrett Wilson to 8.2 yards per catch. There aren’t many stars on this unit, other than cornerback Patrick Surtain, but Justin Strnad had two tackles for loss. Thirteen Broncos have at least a half-sack in four games.
– The pressure limited Aaron Rodgers to a 72.0 passer rating, and the Broncos stuffed the Jets’ running game, giving Breece Hall four yards in 10 carries in the rain. “The weather sucked, but so did some of my throws,” Rodgers said. Denver gave up 26 points in an opening loss at Seattle but has given up only 29 the rest of the way.
– Rookie Patrick Nix took Denver on one TD drive, an 87-yarder that was sustained by a third-and-11 completion to Courtland Sutton that went 29 yards. Nix hit Sutton with a nine-yard touchdown that gave Denver a 7-6 lead. Sutton was the target of nine of Nix’s 25 attempts.
Houston 24, Jacksonville 20
– Trevor Lawrence has quarterbacked nine consecutive losses for the Jaguars, who are 0-4 despite a decent effort at Houston. Tank Bigsby had a 58-yard run, rookie Brian Thomas caught a touchdown pass, and the Jags were 2 for 3 in the red zone. But they couldn’t move the ball on two fourth quarter possessions when they led 20-17, C.J. Stroud led the Texans to the game-winning score with :22 left, at the end of a 65-yard drive.
– Nico Collins set a franchise record for receiving yards after four games, grabbing 12 of the 15 footballs Stroud threw at him. Stroud recovered from a tough game at Minnesota and hit 27 of 40 for 345 yards and no interceptions.
– Dare Ogunbowale got the final 1-yard touchdown for the win on third down. His sister Arike is more famous, as a former Notre Dame basketball star and a current player for the Dallas Wings. Until Sunday he was best known for kicking a field goal last year when Ka’imi Fairbairn was hurt – the first position player to do that in the NFL since Wes Welker in 2004.
Cincinnati 34, Carolina 24
– Ja’Marr Chase is going for the money. After his “hold-in’ did not earn him a contract extension, he has decided to earn it on the field, with a TD catch of 63 yards at Charlotte. Last week he scored on 41 and 31 yard plays with Joe Burrow, who averaged more than 10 yards per completion. Chase Brown was key, too, rushing for two scores and 80 yards.
– The Bengals (1-3) needed it because their defense got run over by Chuba Hubbard (18 carries, 104 yards) and sliced up by ex-Bengal Andy Dalton (25 for 40, 220, two TDs). The Bengals had no sacks or tackles for loss against one of the least distinguished O-lines in the NFL.
– Dalton did throw a costly pick to Vonn Bell, who set up Burrow on the Panthers’ 16 in the first quarter. Brown scored for a 7-0 lead. But the Panthers (1-3) again showed some offensive aptitude in their second game with Bryce Young on the bench.
Dallas 20, NY Giants 15
– Dallas (2-2) gave up five touchdown drives to Baltimore in Week 3 but none on Thursday night in the Meadowlands. The Giants had a chance to take the lead early in the fourth, but Marist Liafau had a tackle-for-loss on Devin Singletary on third down and forced a field goal, keeping Dallas ahead, 17-12. Dexter Lawrence also had a sack at the end of the second quarter to coax another field goal. That was the only sack by Dallas, but the defense got credit for six passes defensed.
– The Cowboys have beaten New York 13 consecutive times with Dak Prescott. Aside from a 55-yard TO connection with CeeDee Lamb, Prescott didn’t have an explosive play, but he picked away at the Giants with a 22-of-27 night. On the play before the pass to Lamb, Mike McCarthy went for it on fourth and one from his own 39, and Hunter Luepke, an undrafted free agent from North Dakota State who has become a viable NFL fullback, rumbled for six yards.
– Malik Nabers continued to dazzle. Daniel Jones threw 15 more passes to him and Nabes caught 12 for 115 yards. Nabers is the first player in NFL history to catch 35 passes and at least three TD passes when Jones gave him his fourth scoring pass of the season. But the Giants’ longest run went five yards.
L.A. Raiders 20, Cleveland 16
– Charles Snowden strikes an impressive pose on the field, at 6-foot-7 and 245, and on Sunday he translated it into action when he sacked DeShaun Watson on fourth-and-three at the Raiders’ nine. That saved a game that the Raiders’ defense controlled even without sackmaster Maxx Crosby.
– The Browns (1–3) got to within four points when Rodney McLeod picked up Zamir White’s fumble and ran it into the end zone, but that was Cleveland’s only offensive touchdown, and Watson was sacked three times. He’s been collared 19 times so far, and the Browns haven’t yet scored 20 points in any game, even though they opened the game with a 15-play TD drive that consumed nine-and-a-half minutes.
– Without Davante Adams, the Raiders (2–2) kept the reins on Gardner Minshew, who was 14 for 24 and had no completions over 19 yards. But D.J. Turner provided a highlight with an 18-yard fly sweep for a touchdown, as he evaded at least four Cleveland defenders.
San Francisco 30, New England 13
– Fred Warner’s 45-yard interception touchdown was the big moment here, although Warner left the 49ers’ lineup later with injury and did not return. The Niners (2-2) already were missing two offensive line starters and Christian McCaffrey. Deebo Samuel did return and caught three passes for 58 yards.
— It was fun to be a 49er defender Sunday. San Francisco sacked Jacoby Brissett six times and held Rhamondre Stevenson to 43 yards in 13 carries. The 49ers forced four fumbles, recovering two. The Patriots (1-3) threw for just 168 yards, 50 on one play to Antonio Gibson, and got their only touchdown when Brissett hit Austin Hooper for five yards on the first play of the second half.
– Kevin Givens had two and a half sacks for the 49ers. He’s the Penn State defensive lineman who put his name in the draft early, and then didn’t get drafted in 2019. He got the call because Javon Hargrove tore his tricep muscle and is out for the season.