Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels actually looked like a rookie in the first quarter. Then, he looked like Jayden Daniels.
Washington matched its win total from the entire 2023 season by advancing to 4-1. Daniels and his unflappable demeanor was key.
“Stay the course,” said Daniels, who finished with 238 passing yards, one touchdown and an interception, and led the team with 82 rushing yards. “Don’t get too high, get too low. Everything’s going to work out.”
Things worked out after that early interception, an errant third-down pass intended for Zach Ertz but picked off by Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah at the Cleveland 1-yard line. That’s when Daniels settled down, proving he’s getting better, and led Washington to points on four of its next five drives to take a 24-3 lead entering half.
He made fantastic plays and got fantastic plays, including a 41-yard touchdown strike to Dyami Brown. On the play before the touchdown, Daniels ran out of bounds and, on his way back to the huddle, yelled at offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to take the shot against man coverage.
“He called the play and we did it,” Daniels said.
The Washington defense also did it, starting with a fourth-down, tone-setting stop on the Browns’ opening possession. Washington got a phenomenal interception from linebacker Frankie Luvu and held Cleveland to 1-for-13 on third downs and only 108 net passing yards, thanks to seven sacks.
Cleveland (1-4) now travels to Philadelphia (2-2) next week. Washington gets a Beltway showdown with Baltimore (3-2). The Ravens have won three straight, including a thrilling 41-38 overtime win at Cincinnati on Sunday.
The first-place Commanders don’t have a road trip involving a charter flight until Week 15 at New Orleans. Their next three road games are bus trips to Baltimore (Week 6), the New York Giants (Week 9) and Philadelphia (Week 11).
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