Washington moves up
The Washington Commanders are on a three game winning streak and they are getting a lot of national attention. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels had another fantastic game, and is in talks for being one of the top QBs in the NFC. Washington had their national showing on Monday Night Football two weeks ago in a 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. They went straight to Arizona to prepare for their game against the Cardinals. The entire team looked fresh and hungry, leading to a 42-14 dominating win.
Washington is now 3-1, and they have sole possession of first place in the NFC East. FanDuel had the Over/Under for Washington’s team win total at 6 1⁄2 this year, and that over is going to hit big if the team keeps playing like they did against the Cardinals. Washington was a bottom 10 team at the beginning of the season, and now they’re being listed in the Top 5. Jayden Daniels has been a revelation, and the rest of the world is starting to catch up to the reality behind the hype.
High: 5
Low: 21
Average: 12.2
#5
Sports Illustrated(Orr)
What a night for Commanders fans, who truly and honestly deserve all of this. It’s no longer a wild thought to imagine the Commanders making the playoffs. Or…winning the dang NFC East outright. Their upcoming schedule has dates with middling opponents like Cleveland, Carolina, Chicago and the Giants again (sandwiched in with dates against the Ravens, Steelers, Eagles and Cowboys). While I would caution us all to give Jayden Daniels some space to grow and make mistakes, how special could this season be? Last week: 14
#6
The Athletic(Kendall)
First-round quarterback Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 pick, has changed the complexion of the season for the Commanders and may have finally changed the trajectory of the franchise. Daniels has completed 82 percent of his passes so far, the highest completion percentage in a four-game stretch in the NFL (for quarterbacks with more than 100 attempts) since the league’s merger. He has led more scoring drives (23) than he has thrown incompletions (19). He also has the highest EPA per dropback of any NFL starter (.32). He’s 10th in passing yards (897). And he’s second among quarterbacks in rushing (218). Congratulations, Commanders. Last week: 18
#7
NFL.com(Edholm)
Let the record show that I broadcast my optimism for this team’s chances back in August, but even in my wildest dreams, I didn’t think I’d be approaching true-believer status this quickly. Are the Commanders this year’s version of the 2023 Texans? Consider that Houston started last season with a 3-4 record, and here the Commanders are sitting at 3-1 with only five more road games left on the schedule. There are some truly winnable contests upcoming, along with an absolute hoot of a matchup — Jayden Daniels vs. Lamar Jackson — in Week 6. The Daniels magic appears to be real, and the NFC East isn’t nearly the gauntlet some thought it would be. What a refreshing change this year has been so far in D.C., and I can’t wait to see how it ends. But I’m fine going out on a limb here and now saying this team has an excellent chance to make a postseason run. Bookmark it. Last week: 16
#8
CBS Sports(Prisco)
It’s time to believe in this group. Jayden Daniels has turned this team into the best team in the NFC East. Wow. Last week: 17
#9
USA Today(Davis)
Given how well rookie QB Jayden Daniels and Co. have been playing, it’s very easy to envision this team around 7-2 at the season’s midpoint. But they could use more from the wideouts, none among Washington’s top three yardage producers or in excess of 200 yards through four games. Last week: 18
Fox Sports(Helman)
Maybe this will change, but the Commanders have put together the best résumé of anyone in the NFC East through one month. Obviously, Jayden Daniels is the catalyst, but make sure you credit a surprisingly solid offensive line. And Washington’s defense flexed some muscle in Arizona on Sunday. Last week: 18
WalterFootball
Jayden Daniels doesn’t miss. How is he more accurate than Drew Brees in his prime already? It’s truly unbelievable. I was a huge fan of Daniels in the NFL – so much so that I bought his legendary Reignmakers card (R.I.P. Reignmakers) – but I didn’t see this coming. I don’t even think the Redskins did. Daniels might be known as a top-three NFL quarterback by next season at this pace. Last week: 18
Pro Football Talk
Commanders are looking like the 2023 Texans. And maybe even better. Last week: 15
#10
Sporting News(Iyer)
The Commanders are in complete command offensively with Jayden Daniels rushing and passing for chunks at will. It’s now inspiring the defense to know it can play with a lead. Last week: 16
New York Post(Dunleavy)
There is no hotter offense right now.
The Commanders have scored on 20 of 22 possessions during a three-game winning streak, including most recently a 42-14 rout of the Cardinals that allowed offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to get a laugh at the team that fired him as head coach.
Jeremy McNichols, Brian Robinson Jr. and Jayden Daniels combined for four rushing touchdowns. Last week: 18
Pro Football Network(Cannata)
Should we just give Jayden Daniels the Offensive Rookie of the Year trophy now?
The No. 2 overall pick has been the NFL’s second-best quarterback behind Josh Allen over the past two weeks. Daniels completed 88.7% of his passes in Weeks 3 and 4, averaging 9.2 yards per attempt while achieving 0.52 EPA per dropback. For reference, Brock Purdy led the league at 0.34 in 2023.
On Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals tried to fool Daniels by dropping eight defenders into coverage on 36.1% of his dropbacks. That was the highest drop-eight rate for any defense in a single game this season. Daniels went 9-of-11 for 85 yards and 0.28 EPA per dropback on those throws.
Most importantly, the upstart Commanders are now 3-1 and leading the NFC East. This isn’t a situation where Washington is underperforming its metrics or has simply gotten lucky en route to three straight wins — their +19 point differential is ninth-best in the NFL and backs up Daniels and Co.’s early-season performance. Last week: 21
#11
ESPN
Biggest issue on defense: Run defense
Washington ranks 31st in yards per carry (5.3) and 27th in yards per game (357). In the past three outings combined, it has allowed 5.9 yards per carry. Gaps have been too wide, as tackles are getting nudged out or others are trying to avoid blocks. And at times, the edge isn’t being set strong enough to force running backs outside. The good news for Washington is that in the next six weeks it plays only two teams — Baltimore (No. 1) and Pittsburgh (No. 10) — ranked in the top 10 in rushing. — John Keim Last week: 19
The 33rd Team(Mosher)
Jayden Daniels has turned the Washington Commanders into an instant contender in the NFC East. There might not be a team in the NFL that is more fun to watch than Washington.
The defense is still a major issue, and it remains to be seen if it can get any stops against quality offenses, but the Commanders are legit and hold a one-game lead over the Cowboys and the Eagles in the division after the season’s first month. Last week: 16
#12
Yahoo Sports(Schwab)
In their past three games, the Commanders have scored points on 20 of 22 possessions, not including kneeldowns. It’s not like the Commanders have an outstanding supporting cast or a great line. This is Jayden Daniels being absolutely dominant as a rookie. Last week: 17
The Score
Jayden Daniels leads all signal-callers in EPA/play and success rate through four weeks. He’s completed over 80% of his throws, and Washington has more scoring drives (23) than Daniels has incompletions (19). The rookie has made the Commanders must-watch TV and is one of the league’s most exciting players. Last week: 19
Yardbarker(Dell)
The high-powered Commanders offense finally showed signs of slowing down in Week 4, punting for the first time in three games. QB Jayden Daniels is off to a historic start to his career, posting an NFL-record 82.1% completion rate through the first four games, and has quickly become the runaway favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Last week: 18
#13
Sportsnaut(Johnson)
It’s time to give the Washington Commanders their flowers. Jayden Daniels didn’t come close to replicating his Monday Night Football showcase, but the Commanders still found their way to a statement win. We were wrong about Kliff Kingsbury and this Commanders offensive line, both are greatly exceeding expectations. Now, a sentence that seemed unfathomable just a few weeks ago. The Commanders might win the NFC South. Last week: 16
#14
Bleacher Report
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels must be butter. Because the second overall pick in the 2024 draft is on a roll—one the NFL has never seen before.
After completing 26-of-30 passes in a blowout win over Arizona, Daniels has completed 82.1 percent of his passes through his first four games—an NFL record. He’s the only quarterback in league history to complete 85 percent of his passes in consecutive games.
The last time the Commanders had a young quarterback this electrifying was Robert Griffin III. But while Yahoo’s Frank Schwab sees some similarities, Daniels is a better passer, and the sky’s the limit.
“The one thing Daniels has over Griffin is that he already looks like a polished pocket passer. The Commanders started him off very slowly, barely throwing more than a few yards downfield in his first game and most of his second, but he executed that well and the offense has been opening up since then. If you didn’t know Daniels was a rookie, you never could have guessed it on Sunday. He was just an accurate, poised quarterback who was also very effective as a runner. It doesn’t seem like Daniels is going anywhere. If he keeps playing at this level, with just a little help around him, the Commanders might be a factor all season, too.”
The Washington defense remains a potential weakness, although they played well against the Cardinals, limiting Arizona to under 300 yards of offense. The way Daniels and the Washington offense are playing, if the defense can hold it together, the Commanders may not just be a factor in the NFC East.
They might be the best team in the division. Last week: 18
#15
Sharp Football Analysis
Last week: 20
Oddsshark
Last week: 24
#16
NFL Trade Rumors(Woodie)
We have the latest rookie quarterback sensation to take the league by storm. Jayden Daniels is here, leading the charge in a blowout win over the Cardinals. Daniels just set the record for completion percentage over a four-game span — doing so over the first four games of his career is a ridiculous feat. The Commanders are the early leaders in the NFC East, and with the Browns on deck, they have a chance to keep their lead. Last week: 22
#18
The Lines
Suddenly Washington looks like the best team in the NFC East, and it isn’t particularly close. Jayden Daniels is off to the most efficient four-game start to a career and Bobby Wagner is leading a respectable defense. Last week: 26
#21
The Ringer(Lee)
Last week: 25
Team Rankings
Last week: 27
NumberFire
Last week: 29