In the blink of an eye, the NFL season is already 10 weeks in. With each passing week, suspense builds immensely as it did in the thrilling final seconds of Baltimore’s 35-34 win over Cincinnati on Thursday. Did Lamar Jackson do enough in that game to hold off contenders for another MVP award?
In comparison to his MVP season last year, through 10 games, Jackson has 14 more passing touchdowns and three fewer interceptions. But Daniels is a rookie, so his only prior-year comparisons might be to Hall of Famer Jim Brown, the only NFL rookie to win MVP (in 1957) or, in the NBA, another Beltway legend who won his league’s MVP as a rookie, Wes Unseld in 1969. Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum still sees Daniels above Jackson as the leading candidate.
“The very definition of MVP is the impact he’s had. He could be washing the water bottles, he could be doing anything in that organization, and it has been transformational,” Tannenbaum said Friday morning on ESPN’s Get Up. “And you take him out, they would just be an average team at best. Lamar Jackson is having a great season but the impact that Jayden Daniels has had on this organization, on and off the field as a leader, playing with the poise he has, is the very definition of valuable.”
Analysts Dan Graziano, Bart Scott and Ryan Clark disagreed with Tannenbaum’s take, each favoring Jackson. But Clark, a former player, did acknowledge that Daniels has been transformational.
“Jayden Daniels is playing MVP-caliber ball,” said Clark, who helped the Steelers win a Super Bowl. “But the problem is, you don’t get to win it because you are playing MVP-caliber ball. You have to actually be the best player in football, affecting your team in the way that Lamar Jackson is affecting his team.”
Anyone with a pulse can agree that Daniels is off to a tremendous start. His rookie campaign has Washington (7-2) atop the NFC East heading into its culture collision with the AFC North-leading Steelers (6-2) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS). The argument against Daniels is not to diminish the season he’s having because it is clear the trajectory of the Commanders has skyrocketed since he took over under center.
His MVP case could also skyrocket over the next six days, as the Commanders head to Philadelphia in Week 11 to take on their NFC East rivals on Thursday Night Football.
Despite the race, the NFL is in great hands with the talent at the quarterback position. Over the past two seasons, rookie quarterbacks have come in and taken the league by storm. For Washington, having a quarterback even in the discussion for the MVP award speaks volumes about what the Commanders have accomplished in turning around their franchise.
For more information on the Commanders, visit the Washington team page at ProFootballPost.com.
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