Jayden DanielsMitchell Leff/Getty Images
The Washington Commanders are one of the biggest surprises
in the NFL this year, and while the play of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels
has drawn most of the attention to date, head coach Dan Quinn told
reporters that he believes as offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and
Daniels become more comfortable that the offense is only scraping the surface.
“I’ve found out the competitor that he is and the detail that he wants to get to with the group,” Quinn said. “And we’ve got, we think a lot more under the hood, about where we can develop and how far we can take it. And Kliff’s a really big part of that. He’s got incredibly high standards for the group. He’s got a very creative mind. So, to think that all of our playbook has been seen, you would be mistaken.”
That offense hit a snag Thursday night. And for the second straight week Daniels looked less superhuman and more like a rookie quarterback. The Philadelphia Eagles completely took Terry McLaurin and Washington’s wide receivers out of the game, and as a result Daniels struggled—less than 200 passing yards, three sacks and an interception.
Of course, we need some context here. Even after the loss, Washington is 7-4—a record exactly no one expected the Commanders to have after 11 games. Daniels is all but certainly going to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year. The future is as bright in the nation’s capital as it has been in a long time.
But for the second week in a row, the Commanders were tested
by a Super Bowl contender. For the second week in a row, they failed.
The Commanders are a good football team. Probably a playoff
team.
But they’ll need to focus in the offseason on hanging with the big boys.
Because they aren’t there yet.