Jayden Daniels bounced back after throwing an early interception at the goal line, acting like it was just another game instead of his fifth NFL start.
“Stay the course,” he said. “Don’t get too high, get too low. Everything’s going to work out.”
His approach worked, helping Daniels and the Washington Commanders achieve their fourth straight win, defeating the Cleveland Browns 34-13 on Sunday.
The rookie quarterback had almost as many missed passes as in his previous three games combined but made up for it with 82 rushing yards and the longest touchdown pass of his young career.
“I just missed some throws,” Daniels said. “That’s it. Some throws I wish I had back, but we were able to capitalize on some plays.”
With this win, Washington improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2008, while Cleveland fell to 1-4 after losing three in a row.
“Nobody likes where we are,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I don’t feel good about 1-4. It eats at you.”
Daniels, along with Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, and Jeremy McNichols, rushed for a total of 211 yards on 31 carries. Robinson scored two touchdowns, and McNichols added another in a game so one-sided that fans started doing the wave with four minutes left in the third quarter.
The Commanders’ defense played a key role, forcing Deshaun Watson to fumble, sacking him seven times, and allowing only 212 total yards. Despite coming into the game with the worst third-down defense in the league, the Browns went 1 for 13 in a messy performance, with their only touchdown coming during garbage time.
“We held it on our shoulders as a defense like this is the game for us to step forward,” said linebacker Frankie Luvu, who led the team with 2 1/2 sacks. “There’s always room for improvement, and us as a defense, we’re just getting started.”
