Sometimes a player can be so good — so dominant — that even some of the best to ever play the game have to boil their praise down to the most basic and straightforward sentiments.
Such was the case for “Monday Night Football” color commentator and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman as the Washington Commanders rolled to a 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals during a Week 3 showcase in which rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders with a virtuoso performance.
“This is the coming-out party for Jayden Daniels,” MNF play-by-play analyst Joe Buck said after Daniels’ 27-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin in the fourth quarter. “This young man has been sensational.”
“You just can’t (play quarterback) any better,” said Aikman, a 3-time Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys.
Daniels wasn’t just good for MNF against the Bengals, but maybe better than any rookie quarterback in NFL history for 1 night as he finished 21-of-23 passing for 254 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions to go with 39 rushing yards and 1 touchdown.
Daniels’ completion percentage (91 percent) set the NFL single-game rookie record. It wasn’t the only piece of NFL history made in the game — it was also the first game in NFL history without a punt or a turnover since 1940, according to StatMuse.
Unusual First Career TD Pass for Daniels
While Daniels led the Commanders to a 1-1 start to the season, he hadn’t thrown a touchdown pass until he connected with offensive tackle Trent Scott on a 1-yard score in the third quarter against the Bengals.
Daniels finally connected with the Commanders’ top receiver, McLaurin, for a big night as well. McLaurin had 8 receptions for just 39 receiving yards and no touchdowns through the first 2 games and had 4 receptions for 100 yards and 1 touchdown against the Bengals.
Daniels Won Duel Between LSU Heisman Winners
Daniels also outdueled fellow former LSU quarterback and fellow Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow for the victory. Both players transferred to LSU from other schools — Burrow from Ohio State and Daniels from Arizona State, both started 2 seasons at LSU and both won the Heisman in their second seasons.
Burrow was selected No. 1 overall by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL draft. Daniels was selected No. 2. overall by the Commanders in 2024 — 1 of a record-tying 6 quarterbacks taken in the first round.
Washington head coach Dan Quinn named Daniels the starter for the preseason opener after he won the spot over veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota in training camp.
ESPN’s John Keim reported on Aug. 2 that it seemed Daniels had taken firm hold of the Commanders’ starting QB role.
“Though Washington coach Dan Quinn does not want to name Jayden Daniels the starting quarterback just yet, the rookie has quietly started to take all or most of the first-team snaps the last two days,” Keim wrote. “The Commanders still want to see how he progresses, but he’s impressed teammates by how he’s not only recognized some leverages in coverage, but also how he’s then adjusted.”
The Commanders return to action in Week 4, hitting the road to play the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 29.
