When the Washington Commanders selected Jayden Daniels with the second pick in the 2024 Draft, general manager Adam Peters knew he had something special on his hands. But neither he nor anyone else imagined that the charismatic quarterback from LSU would be this special. Daniels is the reason why the Commanders are the unexpected leaders in the NFC East Division with a 4-1 record and second in the Conference seeding, only behind the undefeated Minnesota Vikings.
On the surface are some of his impressive statistics: leading the league with a 77.1 completion percentage; second in yards per attempt average with 8.66 and fifth in rating with 106.3.
The perfect plan
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury deserves a lot of credit for installing a system that the rookie could quickly master and feel comfortable in.
And if you think it’s just short passes or wide receivers screens, you need to look closer. In wins over Cincinnati and Cleveland, Daniels hit rainbows of 55, 66 and 41 yards, and two of those three passes went for touchdowns.
When he’s in the pocket, Daniels displays a patience that’s not common among rookie quarterbacks; he doesn’t get frustrated and goes through his progressions one by one. However, he knows how to improvise when time is running out and make the most of his ability as a ball carrier.
Kingsbury has installed a series of runs designed exclusively for Daniels and that makes him a very difficult player to defend.
Daniels is the first player in NFL history with more than 1,000 passing yards and more than 250 rushing yards in his first five games.
Jackson is the standard
Daniels has 300 yards rushing, with 250 of those coming before first contact, second in the league among quarterbacks only to his opponent this Sunday, Lamar Jackson, who has 282. That’s not new. Jackson is by far the best quarterback in the league when it comes to running the ball: He has 5,621 yards rushing and needs 489 to surpass Michael Vick (6,109) as the passer with the most rushing yards in NFL history.
Jackson can also become the first quarterback in league history with at least 500 yards rushing in seven consecutive seasons.
In the past three weeks, Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have looked like true contenders in the AFC.
Derrick Henry has been a factor. “King” Henry leads the NFL with 572 yards and six rushing touchdowns. That combined with Jackson’s MVP form has translated into three straight wins (Dallas, Buffalo and Cincinnati).
In wins over the Bills and Bengals, Baltimore has scored 76 points and Lamar Jackson has thrown six touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
Extra pressure for Daniels
Washington’s defense will have its hands full with Henry and Jackson, and if the Ravens get a quick two-or-more-score lead, defensive coordinator Zach Orr will be able to pressure Daniels with more confidence, particularly on third downs.
The Commanders’ dynamic young quarterback has his toughest test on Sunday in Baltimore. And if he can come home with a win, then we can really consider Washington a contender in the NFC.
These teams have only met seven times and Baltimore leads the series 4-3. The Ravens won the most recent in 2020, but Washington won its most recent visit to Baltimore in 2016.
Pick: Baltimore 38-25 Washington
Top picks for Week 6
| 49ers @ Seahawks | Seattle +3.5 |
| Jaguars @ Bears | Chicago -2.5 |
| Buccaneers @ Saints | Tampa Bay -3.5 |
| Cardinals @ Packers | Green Bay -5 |
| Colts @ Titans | Over 43.5 |
| Browns @ Eagles | Philadelphia -9.5 |
| Texans @ Patriots | Over 38.5 |
| Commanders @ Ravens | Under 51.5 |
| Chargers @ Broncos | Denver +3 |
| Steelers @ Raiders | Pittsburgh -3 |
| Falcons @ Panthers | Atlanta -6 |
| Lions @ Cowboys | Detroit -3 |
| Bengals @ Giants | Cincinnati -3.5 |
| Bills @ Jets | Over 40.4 |
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