Jayden Daniels officially put the NFL world on notice on Monday night with his unbelievable performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Daniels completed 91.3 percent of his passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also ran for another 39 yards and one touchdown on the ground.
Daniels had more total touchdowns (three) than incompletions (two).
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The reigning Heisman trophy winner in college football had his best outing as a pro and propelled the Commanders to an upset win on the road against the Bengals. The Commanders are now a surprising 2-1 to start the season.
Daniels’ emergence put him atop the list of talk show topics on Tuesday, and Kay Adams of the Up & Adams show spoke to Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams about his breakout performance.
“He’s a special player,” Davante Adams said of Daniels. “We were hoping that maybe all the teams didn’t think so and he could slip down to the Raiders [during the draft].”
CINCINNATI, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 23: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second quarter at Paycor Stadium on September 23, 2024 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Raiders wanted Daniels.
Andy Lyons/Getty Images
The Raiders had the No. 13 overall pick in this past year’s draft. It was unlikely Daniels or any of the top quarterbacks fell to Las Vegas, leading them to instead select tight end Brock Bowers in the first round and stick with their quarterback room of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O’Connell. While Bowers has looked great through the first three weeks of the year, Minshew hasn’t exactly been able to lead the Raiders to victories.
Through three weeks, the Raiders are 1-2, and Minshew has completed 73.7 percent of his passes for 747 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He was benched in their embarrassing Week 3 loss to the Carolina Panthers and replaced by O’Connell, who went 9-for-12 with 82 yards and a touchdown.
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While Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce didn’t rule out a quarterback change this week, reports have indicated Minshew will get at least another week in charge of Las Vegas’ offense. However, if the Raiders struggle against the 1-2 Cleveland Browns in Las Vegas, there could be some rumblings for a new quarterback.
There won’t be any rumblings in Washington, though, as the Commanders appear to have found their franchise quarterback. Through three games this year, Daniels has completed 80.3 percent of his passes for 664 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. On the ground, he’s added 171 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s out there doing his thing. It’s impressive to watch,” Davante Adams said. “Such a young kid, a lot of expectations coming in, it’s hard to perform like that, especially on a team that’s been struggling for a while. So really proud of him.”
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