Jayden Daniels Outplays Joe Burrow in Commanders Win as NFL Fans Rip 0-3 Bengals

Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacekFeatured Columnist IVSeptember 24, 2024

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Joe Burrow threw for 324 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions in Monday’s game between his Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders.

And he might not have even been the best LSU quarterback in Paycor Stadium.

That is because rookie Jayden Daniels was brilliant while leading his team to a second straight win with a 38-33 victory over the Bengals. He beat Cincinnati with both his arm (21-of-23 for 254 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions) and his legs (39 rushing yards and one touchdown) in the exact type of performance Washington envisioned when it selected him with the No. 2 pick.

His biggest moment came when he dropped a 27-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin right in the bucket on third down with just more than two minutes remaining. It was an incredible throw and capped off a performance that Commanders fans will surely remember for years to come.

NFL @NFLJAYDEN DANIELS. TERRY MCLAURIN. THE COMMANDERS.

📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bP5qrpGN8q

Matt Ryan @M_Ryan02Stop it! Unreal throw from Jayden Daniels. Love the double move call!

Social media had plenty of reactions for Daniels’ performance:

Washington Commanders @CommandersDo you have Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin on your team? pic.twitter.com/OJN26SEeIA

B/R Gridiron @brgridironThis angle of Jayden Daniels deep ball to Terry McLaurin 🤯💣

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/rDrN19zxSB

JJ Watt @JJWattJayden Daniels have a damn night.

Wow.

Matt Ryan @M_Ryan02Jayden daniels dealing! Love how the @Commanders staff used him in the first half

Robert Griffin III @RGIIIJayden Daniels has ICE IN HIS MF VEINS!!!!

Steve Palazzolo @StevePalazzolo_Jayden Daniels looks GOOD. This is one of those high-efficiency Lamar games

Mina Kimes @minakimesFINALLY there’s the Jayden Daniels go ball we know and love!!!!!!!!!!

Calais Campbell @CalaisCampbellJayden Daniels is special

Tone Digs @ToneDigzJayden Daniels is must watch football

Albert Breer @AlbertBreerSure looks like the Commanders picked the right guy at Top Golf.

On the flip side, Cincinnati’s defense was nonexistent.

Washington didn’t punt and scored touchdowns on five of its six possessions where it wasn’t running out the clock at the end of the first half and game. The Bengals look to be in some trouble at 0-3, which led to no shortage of criticism for the defensive effort:

StatMuse Football @statmusefbThe first game since 1940 with no turnovers or punts just happened. pic.twitter.com/Qq9XRYM5qb

Willie Lutz @willie_lutzESPN calling the Bengals a high school defense stung the soul

Timmy Hall🎙 @TimHall971Bengals defense is complete trash.

Max Toscano @maxtoscano1It’s amazing that the Bengals probably have a top 5-7 offense and likely will miss the playoffs because they have the worst defense in the NFL

Cincy Jungle @CincyJungleBengals defense looks like a disaster thus far. No excuse for this.

WINCINNATI @WINCINNATI_Is this the worst defense the Bengals have ever had?

Gridiron Grading @GridironGradingThe Bengals defense is truly awful.

But what an impressive performance this has been by rookie QB Jayden Daniels.

He is making the right decision every single play.

Everything pointed to this being a get-right game for a Bengals team that entered the season with realistic Super Bowl aspirations.

It was at home, against a rookie quarterback and right after nearly defeating the reigning-champion Kansas City Chiefs in a game that showed the team’s overall promise. It also marked the return of Tee Higgins from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the first two games, which figured to open up the offense.

That’s exactly what it did out of the gates, as Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase for a deep-ball touchdown on the game’s first possession.

But what looked like the first step toward a blowout win was anything but, as Daniels and the Commanders offense torched the abysmal Cincinnati defense with touchdowns on its first four possessions not counting kneeling out to end the half.

The rookie quarterback uncorked a deep ball to McLaurin, found offensive lineman Trent Scott for a trick-play touchdown and scored using his legs. Throw in touchdowns from Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. while the Bengals offense stalled for three straight field-goal attempts, and the home crowd was audibly frustrated as the deficit expanded to 15.

Bleacher Report @BleacherReportJAYDEN DANIELS’ FIRST CAREER TD PASS IS TO AN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN 🔥 😂

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/YIt3tlEZma

NFL @NFLJayden Daniels with a big 4th down conversion!

📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/END5aWNzxE

While Burrow connected with Andrei Iosivas and Chase for two more touchdowns down the stretch to give the Bengals a chance, Daniels had the answer every single time. Never was that answer clearer than the touchdown to McLaurin, which came after he found Zach Ertz for a critical fourth-down conversion earlier on the possession.

It was a performance to remember for the rookie, and he will look to build on it in Week 4 with another road game against the Arizona Cardinals.