Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago the Washington Commanders were the hottest team in the NFL?
Sitting at 7-2 after Week 9, the Commanders were off to their best start since 1996 and sitting atop the NFC East. Two consecutive losses to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles constituted a “Pennsylvania Nightmare” for the Commanders, who are now 7-4 and clinging to the seventh and final spot in the NFC playoff standings headed into back-to-back home games against the Dallas Cowboys and Tennessee Titans.
Now, with their season on the brink, the Commanders also find themselves answering questions about the health of rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels — totally fair questions after the No. 2 overall pick with a 4-year, $37.7 million contract hasn’t seemed like the same player as of late.
One prevailing thought has been that Daniels might still be dealing with a rib injury suffered against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7 that kept him out for all but one series in that game.
“(Daniels), who set a record with an 82.1 completion percentage through the first four weeks of a season, ranks 28th in completion percentage at 59.5 over his last four games,” wrote The Athletic’s Ben Standing on November 19. “Overall, Daniels completes 68.7 percent of his attempts and has three interceptions. Only four of his 14 offensive touchdowns have occurred in this latest four-game stretch, and his rushing yards cratered.”
Commanders Head Coach: Daniels Not Injured
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was defiant in his defense of Daniels, insisting that injuries haven’t been a factor in his drop in production.
“I want to first start off by saying clearly and honestly, Jayden is not injured right now,” Quinn told the media on November 18. “But we did lose valuable practice time with him and his teammates when he was injured. And that’s hard on all the guys. It’s a really, really important part of what we do. And we don’t have banked reps in here, so we’re very much looking forward to getting back onto a full week and regular practice sessions with the guys. So, over the last few weeks, we’ve had to put that together in small bits.”
Daniels Hasn’t Shown He Can Be Only Pocket Passer
While Daniels might one day be one of the NFL’s elite pocket passers, that’s not what his game is right now. If the Commanders want to win, there needs to be at least the threat of Daniels running the ball to keep defenses honest.
When Daniels does run the ball, it turns him into one of the NFL’s most dynamic players — not just quarterbacks — and an NFL MVP candidate.
Through 11 games — essentially 10 games with only 1 series against the Panthers — Daniels has 482 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns and is averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He has just 23 yards on 10 carries in the last 2 games after not having less than 35 rushing yards in a single game through the the first 9 games.
In his final season at LSU in 2023, Daniels ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games while averaging 8.4 yards per carry.
After home games against the Cowboys and Titans, the Commanders get a much-needed bye in Week 14.
