Jayden Daniels Commanders make a statement in win against Bengals

CINCINNATI – Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders were the show in their unexpected 38-33 victory over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.

Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 draft, led the Commanders to touchdowns on each of their first four full drives, building a 28-13 lead midway through the third quarter and keeping the Bengals at bay from there. The former Heisman winner from LSU showed off his ability to score two touchdowns in the win, throwing two touchdowns and running for one, finishing the night 21 of 23 for 254 yards and running for another 40 on 11 carries.

Meanwhile, the Bengals offense struggled to find its rhythm for most of the game but picked up in the second half. A fourth-down touchdown pass from Burrow to sophomore wide receiver Andrei Iosivas brought Cincinnati within a point with three minutes left in the third quarter. Washington answered with a field goal before Burrow found Chase for the pair's second touchdown of the night with 9:42 left in the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 31-26. But Daniels had the final say, capping a 12-play, 70-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes with a perfect 27-yard touchdown pass down the sideline to wide receiver Terry McLaurin that sealed the impressive victory.

With the win, the Commanders improved their season record to 2-1. The Bengals fell to 0-3.

Here is the most important information for Thursday evening for both teams:

The Washington Commanders seem to have found a young quarterback to build their team around.

Rookie Jayden Daniels showed his skills to the NFL world by completing 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, as well as running 11 times for 40 yards.

Daniels hurt Cincinnati with his arm – dropping a perfect pass to receiver Terry McLaurin for a 55-yard gain and setting up the Commanders' third touchdown of the first half. Then, three plays after fourth-and-four, Daniels was tackled by a lightning-fast defender – and dropped another perfect ball to McLaurin for the game-winning 27-yard touchdown pass.

Daniels hurt the Bengals with his legs when he fought for a 4-yard touchdown run around the left end two plays after McLaurin's catch.

Washington has been searching for a quarterback for a long time, through first-round picks (four since 2002), trades and the signing of free agents. The Commanders have started 10 quarterbacks in the last five years. After three games, Washington can finally look to the future with excitement thanks to Daniels.

Promising performance: Running back Austin Ekeler. Before leaving early in the third quarter with a concussion, Ekeler totaled 119 all-purpose yards, including 62 on a kick return. Ekeler has been in good form since the start of training camp, showing excellent acceleration on a 24-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

Biggest gap in the schedule: Defensive receiver Ja'Marr Chase. The Bengals' wide receiver is one of the NFL's most dangerous skill players. But he scored touchdowns with catches of 41 and 31 yards when the Commanders opted for single-high coverage, leaving cornerbacks Mike Sainristil and Benjamin St-Juste helpless on Chase's respective touchdowns.

Decisive game: Washington converted a fourth-and-4 from the Bengals' 38-yard line with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left in the game. The Commanders could have attempted a 56-yard field goal or punted and defended. Instead, they opted to go for it and Daniels completed a 9-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz. Three plays later, Daniels sealed the win with a touchdown pass to McLaurin.

Worrying trend: Run defense. Washington started Monday night ranked 29th against the run, allowing 5.1 yards per carry. But the Commanders allowed TKTK yards per carry on Monday night. They used a lot of two-deep safety looks and kept an extra defender out of the box, but they need to play better up front. – John Keim

Next game: vs. Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 29)

For the second time in three games, the Bengals were clear favorites at home against a team that had a difficult season in 2023. And once again, Cincinnati pulled off a surprise upset.

Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders beat the Bengals 38-33 and sent Cincinnati 0-3 into the first round.

Daniels delivered a masterful performance. Washington scored touchdowns on five of its first six drives, including a 27-yard pass from Daniels to wide receiver Terry McLaurin that sealed the win with 2:10 left.

Before the season began, the Bengals were in talks to challenge Kansas City for the AFC title. But a third meeting between the two teams for the AFC title in the last four seasons currently seems a long way off. According to ESPN Research, only six teams in the Super Bowl era have reached the playoffs after starting the season 0-3.

Worrying trend: The inability to convert possessions into touchdowns was a problem last week against the Kansas City Chiefs and continued against Washington. In the second quarter, Cincinnati managed to get inside Washington's 30-yard line three times. The Bengals were content with field goals on all three attempts. Kicker Evan McPherson converted two of three attempts.

Biggest gap in the schedule: Keeping Daniels in check. The rookie quarterback made running the offense look effortless in his third career start. Daniels completed 14 of his first 16 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. He also fought his way to a touchdown to help the Commanders get a handle on Cincinnati's defense. Washington scored touchdowns on its first four drives. — BenBaby

Next game: vs. Carolina Panthers (1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 29)