The Week 3 ‘Monday Night Football’ matchup between the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals was heralded as a battle between two of LSU’s greatest quarterbacks, and the school’s two most recent Heisman Trophy winners.
It certainly lived up to the hype.
Both Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels shone in the high-scoring affair. Burrow became just the second quarterback of the 2024 NFL season to throw for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in a single game, joining Andy Dalton.
However, it was Daniels who stole the show by leading the Commanders to a 38-33 upset win.
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Daniels put together a remarkable game that showed why Washington made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He displayed not only his elite-level mobility, but also his impressive downfield passing ability.
But above all else, Daniels was accurate and efficient in his third career NFL start. That allowed him to set a rookie record while helping the Commanders improve to a surprising 2-1 to start the season.
Jayden Daniels stats vs. Bengals
Below is a look at Daniels’ stats from the Commanders’ 38-33 victory over the Bengals:
Completions/Attempts (%): 21/23 (91.3%)
Passing yards: 254
Passing TDs: 2
Passer rating: 141.7
Rushing yards: 39
Rushing TDs: 1
Daniels’ completion percentage set a new rookie record for completion percentage in a game where the player attempted at least 20 passes. Dak Prescott held the previous record of 88.9 percent, which he achieved in 2016 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Daniels was every bit as accurate as the numbers indicate. He had one notable misfire early in the game, when he had Terry McLaurin open for a potential long touchdown but threw the ball well behind and over him as he dealt with interior pressure.
After that, Daniels exhibited great ball placement on his throws. He might have saved his best for last, too, as he perfectly dotted a ball to McLaurin in the end-zone on a third-and-7 to effectively ice the game.
As dominant as Daniels was through the air, he was also a key cog for Washington’s ground game. He led the Commanders with 39 rushing yards and found the end zone on a read-option play early in the contest.
Daniels’ dual-threat ability and efficiency was historic in nature. According to the NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, the Commanders rookie is the only player in NFL history to pass for 250 yards and two touchdowns, run for a touchdown and complete 90 percent of his passes since at least 1950.
Certainly, Monday had the feeling of a coming-out party for Daniels. He even acknowledged during a postgame news conference that he wasn’t sure whether he ever had a game during which he failed to complete just two passes.
He also exited the game confident that he showed exactly what he was hoping to on one of the NFL’s biggest stages.
‘I’m a competitor,’ Daniels told reporters. ‘I wanna compete at the highest level. It’s a blessing to go out there each Sunday and do things that a lot of people in the world can’t do.’
