On Monday night, Jayden Daniels showed why the Washington Commanders believe they have found their future franchise quarterback.
The Heisman Trophy winner had the best day of his young NFL career during a 38-33 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati. Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, finished the night with two passing touchdowns and used his legs to add another score.
The former LSU standout also completed 21 of 23 passes. His 91.3% completion percentage set the league’s rookie record. Washington improved to 2-1 on Monday, while the Bengals surprisingly dropped to 0-3.
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The Cincinnati Bengals take the field for Monday Night Football against the Washington Commanders on September 23, 2024 at Paycor Stadium. (Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Aside from Daniels’ impressive stats, the Commanders-Bengals game also resulted in a rather unusual lack of involvement from either team’s punting units.
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According to data complied by the Elias Sports Bureau, Monday night’s game marked the first time in the Super Bowl era that an NFL game ended with neither of the participating teams punting or committing a turnover.
Washington’s offense was efficient throughout the game, which helped the Commanders avoid getting into situations where they had to resort to punting the ball to the opposing team.
The Commanders scored on every possession except for kneel-downs at the end of each half and have not punted or turned the ball over in their last two games.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) warms up before a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. (Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images)
First-year Commanders coach Dan Quinn praised the rookie quarterback after the game. “He’s a real cool customer, and he’s got a real poise about him,” Quinn said.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) stands by between plays in the second quarter of the NFL Week 3 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Commanders at Paycor Stadium in downtown Cincinnati on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. The Commanders led 21-13 at halftime. (Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow did also have a strong showing, throwing for a season-best 324 yards and three scores. However, the Bengals simply couldn’t keep up. Cincinnati is off to its worst start since dropping its first 11 games on the way to a 2-14 finish in 2019.
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The Commanders look to stay on the winning track this weekend when they travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals. Meanwhile, the Bengals will try and get their first win of the season when they go head-to-head with the Carolina Panthers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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