Suffice it to say D.C. is riding high right now. Daniels appears to be the real deal, and the team has overachieved expectations. After a blowout Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay, the Commanders beat the Giants 21-18 before handling the Bengals and are now tied for first place with the Eagles in the NFC East. However, it’s also important to not get too carried away… yet.
The Week 2 win against the Giants — a bad team that was expected to be bad — likely would have been a loss had it not been for New York’s special teams issues in that game. After Graham Gano was injured on the opening kickoff, the Giants did not have an available kicker, and their inability to convert any extra points on their three touchdowns was the game’s difference.
The Bengals’ win was much more impressive, but Cincinnati is one of the big disappointments of the season thus far, sitting 0-3 with an unexpected home loss to the New England Patriots in Week 1. They are considered a formidable opponent due to their success in recent seasons, but despite star QB Joe Burrow being back healthy, they have some deeper issues to sort out.
It was evident from watching Monday’s game that the same thing can still be said about Washington’s roster. Daniels was the story, and rightfully so, but his performance also masked another poor one from the Commanders’ defense, which failed to force a single punt or turnover. Burrow had his way with Washington’s porous secondary, throwing for 324 yards and three touchdowns, with 118 of those yards and two touchdowns belonging to Ja’Marr Chase.
The defensive front wasn’t much better, struggling to put pressure on Burrow — another recurring theme this season. In three games, the Commanders recorded only four sacks and stars Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne have been invisible, combining for only six tackles. Considering that this unit is supposed to be one of the team’s strengths, that is concerning.
The offensive line has been improved from a season ago, and Washington’s receiving threats — namely Terry McLaurin (four receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown) — finally got involved on Monday. With Daniels under center, there’s no reason to think the Commanders’ “college offense” can’t continue to be an exciting watch.
Ultimately, this roster isn’t built to win right now, as it still features several glaring holes. Therefore, expectations must be tempered — and that’s okay. This season was always about the future, and Daniels’ early success makes that future much brighter.
