Jayden Daniels waited for a few blockers and then skillfully moved forward for a 9-yard touchdown run, flipping the ball behind his back before celebrating with a dance and a big smile in his successful return to the desert.
Washington’s talented rookie quarterback is making things seem easy, quickly turning the Commanders (3-1) into one of the rising teams in the NFL. “Fun times right now,” said Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin.
Daniels threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, and ran for another score as the Commanders won their third straight game with a 42-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick last spring, became the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to score four rushing touchdowns in his first four career games, joining Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, and Anthony Richardson.
The Commanders have now scored at least 30 points in two consecutive games for the first time since 2017. “It feels good that we’re able to execute the game plan, but we’ve still got room to grow,” Daniels said.
He completed 26 of 30 passes, boasting an impressive 82% completion rate in his early career. He connected with McLaurin for a 10-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and found Zach Ertz in the back of the end zone for a 2-point conversion, extending the lead to 35-14.
Jeremy McNichols ran for two touchdowns, and Brian Robinson Jr. had 101 rushing yards.
Daniels and Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury both had successful returns.
Daniels played college football for three seasons at Arizona State before transferring to LSU, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 2023. Kingsbury was the head coach of the Cardinals from 2019-2022, leading the team to the playoffs in 2021 before being fired after a 4-13 season the following year.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said he was especially impressed with how 23-year-old Daniels managed his return. Washington practiced all week on the campus of Arizona State while they were in Arizona.
“You would have never known there was a history here,” Quinn said. “Stayed steady all the way through.”
Washington took control early in the third quarter with Daniels’ touchdown run, making the score 24-7. They got a big break on the previous play when Arizona’s Sean Murphy-Bunting was called for pass interference on a deep pass, resulting in a 47-yard penalty.
Arizona’s James Conner had a 6-yard touchdown run near the end of the third quarter, cutting Washington’s lead to 27-14. Conner rushed for 104 yards. Kyler Murray completed 16 of 22 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown but was sacked four times.
“Frustrated to get beat like that at home,” Murray said. “I thought we had a good week of practice, but we didn’t come out here and show it. It was not good enough all around.”
Second-year coach Jonathan Gannon shared Murray’s disappointment. “We can’t look like that,” he said. “Because we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win the game.”
Washington’s offense has been a hot topic in the NFL lately. It scored on every drive in the last two games, except for kneel downs, becoming the first team to do this since at least 2000.
The Commanders continued this strong performance against the Cardinals (1-3), moving smoothly down the field on their first two drives to take a 14-7 lead.
Their streak of 16 possessions ended midway through the second quarter when Arizona’s Garrett Williams made a leaping interception, which was Daniels’ first of the season.
On their next offensive possession, Washington couldn’t get a first down, so Tress Way had to punt for the first time since September 8. Still, there was much more positive than negative for the Commanders’ offense.
The Cardinals started strong, taking a 7-0 lead with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr. on a fourth-and-1 play. This was the rookie’s fourth touchdown catch in three games.
Washington quickly answered, driving 70 yards on nine carries, ending with Robinson’s 6-yard touchdown run. Robinson had a bigger role because Austin Ekeler was out with a concussion, rushing for 38 yards on five carries during the drive.
The Commanders then completed a 93-yard touchdown drive, finishing with McNichols running 27 yards down the left sideline to give them a 14-7 lead with 10:18 left in the second quarter.
