Before his first NFL game last week, Washington Commanders rookie quarterback was among the NFL’s lowest-ranked quarterbacks in the QB power ranking ahead of Week 1. Considering Daniels had never taken an official NFL snap, it made sense.
In his first NFL game, Daniels completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards. He also ran the ball 16 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns. As a passer, Daniels missed some throws, including a would-be touchdown to wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Of those 16 runs, many were scrambles, some of which Daniels will avoid in the future once he’s more comfortable at the NFL level.
Tampa Bay defeated Washington 37-20, but the blame wasn’t on Daniels. At times, it looked like Daniels was trying to lift his team, something the Commanders have lacked for years from the quarterback position.
So, how did Daniels fare in the new QB power rankings heading into Week 2?
Washington seems hesitant to let the LSU product really air it out, but his legs alone should make the Commanders a potential spoiler, fresh off an 88-yard rushing debut against Tampa Bay
We have our winner for best rookie quarterback performance of Week 1, and frankly, it wasn’t even close. Daniels looked just as comfortable as he did during the preseason when operating Washington’s offense, delivering on-target passes with ease and keeping Tampa Bay’s defense on its heels with his scrambling ability. Daniels put together a Lamar Jackson-esque stat line, and played much like Jackson or Kyler Murray, which was surprising to see from a rookie making his first start. He didn’t throw a touchdown pass but ran for two scores, and while Washington fell short on the scoreboard, it certainly wasn’t Daniels’ fault. I can’t wait to watch him play in Week 2 and beyond.
By straight stats, Jayden Daniels had the best game of the rookies, but most of his success in the loss to the Bucs was from scrambling. He completed 70.8 percent of his passes, but his average depth of completion was 1.8 yards, and 87.5 percent of his passes were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
A lot of that has to do with Kliff Kingbury’s horizontal offense, and part of it was facing a Todd Bowles defense that blitzed 42.4 percent of the time.
Daniels had four runs of 10 or more yards and put up 0.31 EPA per play on the ground thanks to two rushing touchdowns, though both came late in the game with Washington trailing. He scrambled on 21.2 percent of his dropbacks but also had eight designed runs.
The scrambles should come down, but the running should continue to be an effective part of his game, combined with a passing game that could look more normal against another defense in his next start.
Did you notice a trend here? Daniels continues to rise in these rankings. He was as productive in Week 1 but still left so much on the field. That’s progress. Daniels never put the football in danger in Week 1.
Next up for Daniels and the Commanders are the New York Giants.