Wins and statistics are good measuring sticks for the impact Jayden Daniels has made in a short period of time, but a better barometer of the rookie quarterback’s success for the Washington Commanders is how he’s already broken a record owned by Tom Brady for 17 years.
Seven-time Super Bowl champion Brady boasted the highest completion percentage after four games, from a minimum 75 pass attempts, in NFL history. At least he did until Daniels completed 26 of 30 passes during the Commanders’ 42-14 blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on Sunday, September 29.
The impressive stat line gave Daniels a superior completion percentage to the mark Brady set for the 18-1 New England Patriots back in 2007, per ESPN’s SportsCenter.
Being above arguably the greatest quarterback of all time on any list shows the remarkable strides Daniels is making during the infancy of his pro career. His dual-threat talents have inspired the Commanders to put together a three-game winning streak on the strength of a prolific offense.
Records Continue to Fall for Jayden Daniels, Commanders
Daniels rushed for a touchdown and threw for another in the Desert, but his day wasn’t quite perfect. Not after he tossed an early interception to second-year cornerback Garrett Williams.
The turnover ended a streak of 16 scoring drives on the spin for the Commanders, dating back to Week 1. That remarkable run was just one of many crazy records and numbers being set by the second-overall pick in the 2024 draft and his offense.
Daniels was electric during Week 3’s 38-33 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football, and he carried the same form into Arizona. In the process, the Heisman Trophy winner completed an astonishing, two-week assault on NFL defenses, quantified by Pro Football Focus.
Dominating the Cards and Bengals has put Daniels and the Commanders in the box-seat within a weak NFC East division. It means expectations for this season can be recalibrated among a fanbase lacking reasons for excitement for years, but hopeful this is only the start of something special.
Commanders Hoping for Their Own Tom Brady
Daniels enjoying the Lombardi Trophy-laden run Brady produced with the Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the dream scenario for the Commanders. It’s what every team hopes to get from a franchise QB1.
Washington has been devoid of a Brady-like presence for years, but the team has been on the receiving end of the type of points explosions Daniels is now dishing out on a weekly basis.
Notable examples include when Brady and those ’07 Pats were accused of running up the score during a 52-7 win over a Joe Gibbs-coached Washington team. Brady threw three touchdowns and ran for two more in a game where the Patriots went for and converted fourth-down attempts, despite leading 38-0 and 45-0, per an article for ESPN by John Clayton.
Brady was again at the controls over 13 years later when the 2020 Bucs bounced Washington out of the playoffs at the first hurdle. Superior quarterback play, including 381 yards passing by Brady, proved the difference in a 31-23 win.
The Commanders have looked on in envy at teams with star quarterbacks for too long. Now Washington has its own star signal-caller out-duelling marquee names at his position.
Daniels outplayed former first-overall pick Kyler Murray in Week 4, making the Cardinals’ biggest threat a non-factor, one week after getting the better of another No. 1 pick, Joe Burrow.
Washington missed out on Burrow in 2020, but the subsequent wait for help at football’s most important position already looks worth it based on Daniels’ lightning start.
