• Jayden Daniels is leading the high-flying Washington offense with poise: Daniels finished 8-of-10 for 101 yards and an 81.2 passing grade on throws between the numbers in Week 4.
• A start for the ages: The Commanders have averaged 0.315 EPA per play through the first four weeks of the 2024 season, the second-highest mark by any team in the first month of a season since 1999.
• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
In Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders unleashed yet another explosive offensive display, propelling the team to a commanding 3-1 start to the season.
Washington’s offense has been one of the surprises of the season, as the team is putting up historic numbers through four games — and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury deserves a ton of credit.
The Commanders have averaged 0.315 EPA per play through the first four weeks of the 2024 season, the second-highest mark by any team in the first month of a season since 1999.
Their streak of consecutive scoring drives (excluding kneel-downs) finally came to an end on Sunday at 16, the longest such streak since 2000. Finally, and possibly the most incredible statistic so far: Daniels has led the Washington offense on 23 scoring drives this season, which is more than the number of incompletions (19) he’s thrown.
Daniels had another efficient performance and has now posted an adjusted completion percentage of over 90% in back-to-back games. His quick release and processing ability were fully displayed as he led this high-flying offense.
Daniels’ release and arm strength were some of his calling cards in college. And these out routes highlight that.
This ball probably sounded like those old Nerf balls that whistled flying over the curl/flat defender pic.twitter.com/ouyBSTrfJ7
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) September 30, 2024
On the play above, the Cardinals dropped into a unique Cover-3, rushing three and dropping eight into coverage. Daniels quickly identified the edge dropping back into coverage and knew it would disrupt the out route to Terry McLaurin. But after seeing the cornerback turn his hips to carry the seam, Daniels anticipates the opening and fires the ball before McLaurin even makes his break.
You make a mistake as an underneath defender and Daniels is making you pay every single time pic.twitter.com/osncL8pifO
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) September 30, 2024
On this play, Washington essentially had two open receivers, and typically, the quarterback would be expected to hit the shorter curl. However, Daniels anticipated that the deeper curl would be open — and with the Cardinals again only rushing three, he knew he’d have the time to make the throw. He was correct, and when the shallow route drew one underneath defender and the other dropped too wide, Daniels hit another chunk play.
One of the biggest questions coming out of college was how well Daniels could consistently attack the middle of the field. So far, he has passed that test with flying colors. On throws between the numbers, Daniels went 8-for-10 for 101 yards and earned an 81.2 passing grade on Sunday. For the season, his 77.9 passing grade on such throws ranks ninth in the NFL.
My favorite throw from yesterday. Daniels gets to the backside of his read after a quick little reset in the pocket and rips a dart to McCaffrey pic.twitter.com/ATNudblz26
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) September 30, 2024
In the play above, Daniels initially didn’t like the “Hank” concept to the short side of the field and quickly recognized that with man coverage, the spacing concept on the other side would provide the answer.
He calmly reset and fired a missile to Luke McCaffrey for a big gain on second-and-15. The fact that he could get to the backside of his read so efficiently against a five-man rush in just his fourth NFL start is incredibly impressive. Successfully and consistently attacking the middle of the field is a clear sign of a quarterback in complete control.
On the Commanders’ two-point conversion to go up 21, Daniels showcased his anticipation in attacking the middle of the field again.
Can Jayden Daniels consistently hit anticipatory throws over the middle of the field? pic.twitter.com/XtOiiQpxHw
— Nick Akridge (@PFF_NickAkridge) September 30, 2024
On this play, Washington ran a mesh concept against zone coverage in the red zone. Daniels read the play low-to-high, starting with the underneath crossers and then working up.
As expected against zone coverage, the crossers were covered, so Daniels looked to the next level. He quickly identified that the safety, chasing the underneath crosser, wouldn’t be able to turn in time to pick up Zach Ertz at the back of the end zone.
Daniels threw the ball with perfect anticipation, releasing it well before Ertz cleared the defender, and connected for the score to put the Commanders up by three touchdowns, effectively sealing the game.
At the moment, it feels like no one has an answer for Daniels, Kingsbury, and this explosive Washington offense. However, defenses always catch up in the NFL, and Washington must adapt.
The key difference is that the Commanders appear to have found the franchise quarterback they’ve sought for decades in Daniels.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.