Jayden Daniels only threw the ball three times in the second quarter during the Washington Commanders’ win against the New York Giants, which pushed their record to 7-2 this season.
The rookie quarterback wasn’t bothered by the low number of passes. “Sometimes that’s how it’s got to be,” Daniels said. “We adjust.”
Things are going really well so far, with Washington having their best start to a season through nine games since 1996. This success is due not only to Daniels but also to a balanced offense and a defense that has greatly improved over the past two months.
The Commanders are one of only five NFL teams that run the ball more than they pass, leading the league with 15 rushing touchdowns and ranking second with 1,475 rushing yards.
“Defending us is really all 11 (players), as the quarterback has a factor in this too on plays that could be designed option plays,” said coach Dan Quinn on Monday. “You have to be able to defend the quarterback runs.”
Daniels, even though he’s been playing with sore ribs the past two weeks, has been a big part of the team’s success. His 459 rushing yards are second only to Lamar Jackson of Baltimore among quarterbacks.
Even if you take Daniels out of the equation, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is still committed to running the ball. The Commanders have handed the ball to running backs 196 times through nine games.
On Sunday, they ran for 149 yards to beat the Giants, despite starting running back Brian Robinson Jr. being a late scratch because of a hamstring injury.
“That’s just the next man up mentality,” Daniels said about Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. stepping up in Robinson’s place. “It doesn’t matter when.
Our coaching staff does a tremendous job of bringing confidence into the players, no matter if you’re the starter or the practice squad guy. You never know when your number might get called.”
The same thing is happening on defense, even after standout defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was lost for the season due to a torn pectoral muscle. Rookie Johnny Newton has stepped in to help fill the gap, and the Commanders have also been getting strong play from linebacker Bobby Wagner and safety Jeremy Chinn.
The team now ranks 14th in defense, up from 29th out of 32 teams just three weeks into the season.
“Defensively, we can still be better,” Wagner said. “If we fix those mistakes that we make, we’ll make a really good team.”
