Commanders Are Still Growing As A Team, But Jayden Daniels Is A Grown Man

So the Washington Commanders haven't fully arrived. Maybe they're good but still not good enough after losing to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Maybe they've got some more growing to do. 

But quarterback Jayden Daniels?

Oct 13, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA;  Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) stands on the sidelines during the second half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Jayden Daniels Is For Real

He's here, people.

He's for real.

He's as close to being fully grown as any adult can get. Even if he stubbornly won't admit it.

"Hey man, I just think I'm still growing," Daniels said after the Commanders fell short against Baltimore, 30-23. "I think everybody is still growing as a team. It's the first year of playing with each other. Our first couple of games. So we got to keep growing from there."

Well, that's true. But it's more true of the entire Commanders team than it is of their starting quarterback as an individual.

The individual is a rookie and it would be understandable if, despite some early-season success, he might run into a rough afternoon against good, veteran teams with much more experience and perhaps more talent – you know, a team like the Ravens.

Baltimore, after all, is a team Daniels himself admitted posed the toughest defense he's faced so far.

Oct 13, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA;  Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) looks to throw on the run as Baltimore Ravens defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (91) applies pressure during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Daniels Matched Lamar Jackson

But it didn't quite seem that way.

Daniels could have done some things a bit better to maximize this outing but he was undoubtedly good anyway. He completed 68.5% of his 35 passes for a representative 269 passing yards.

Daniels threw 2 TDs without an interception. He led a rally late, albeit one that fell that made the game closer but not quite a win.

And he didn't turn the ball over while authoring a 110.3 passer rating.

Said another way, Daniels played well enough to win against a team with a physical defense that was in the AFC Championship game a year ago.

He didn't play against Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson but definitely matched up with him. Jackson threw for 323 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 interception.

So the quarterback battle was something of a draw.

"This is the NFL and this is what it's going to come down to – one score games," Daniels lamented afterward. "Close game. And we got to figure out a way to pull those out."

Oct 13, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA;  Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rushes during the second half against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Problem Is The Rest Of The Team

The problem is that while Daniels had a good game, not enough of his teammates could say the same. 

The Ravens rushed for 176 yards, which felt like 1,776. The Commanders offense, meanwhile, had no running game to speak of, averaging 2.9 yards per rush. And Baltimore converted 60 percent of its third-down plays.

"I don't like how we performed in the second half," coach Dan Quinn said. "I don't like how we performed on third down. We knew they were going to be really good in their running game.

"The lessons are there, we're there, we'll learn them." 

That statement says something without saying it. It says the Commanders have a ways to go. They insisted before kickoff this wouldn't be a measuring stick game.

But, of course it was. And they don't quite measure up yet.

Oct 13, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA;  Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn  reacts during the first half against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

A Lesson To Be Learned

But it's close. Especially with Daniels on the team.

"As lopsided as it felt, we were still in the fight at the end," Quinn said. "So, we do have a tough crew with an attitude to battle. There will be a lot to learn from this game…Got to apply that lessons that were given today. Let's give Baltimore credit, they're a good outfit that played well at the end."

So what are the Commanders now?

They seem to be a team moving in the right direction. They weren't quite ready to rise to the Ravens' level this day. But their young quarterback definitely was.

And that's important. Because that's the most important piece.

"I did say to the team, these are really important games for us to be in to know what it's like to go into a fight and we need not the test inside but this environment and this space to feel really comfortable in it," Quinn said.

"That's what I wanted this to get across today."