Jayden Daniels, the rookie quarterback for the Washington Commanders, has been the team’s top performer. However, his performance—a commanding 42–14 victory over the Cardinals—just confirmed this story. The rookie quarterback was praised by the NFL community after one expert in particular likened his performance to Aaron Rodgers‘ MVP campaign.
Daniels completed 26 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown with an astounding 86.6% completion percentage. He demonstrated his rushing ability when he quickly identified a hole in the Cardinals’ defense and ran nine yards for a simple touchdown. The Commanders maintained their winning streak by dominating the Cardinals and winning by a score of 28 points.
John Middlekauff, a former NFL scout, spoke about the game on The Colin Cowherd Show. The young quarterback’s adaptability made him laugh, and he likened his play to Aaron Rodgers’ MVP campaign while playing for the Packers.
“This guy this this looks like 2015 Aaron Rogers or something right now. I mean just hitting guys in stride on every pass short wheel routes, intermediate routes, deep routes two-point conversions where there’s the the field is way wider than it is long so you got to be precise.”
Middlekauff was alluding to Aaron Rodgers’s MVP-winning campaign in 2014, not 2015, when he led the Packers to the NFC Championship game. He felt that Daniels’s performance elevated him beyond the other rookie quarterbacks and established him as a strong contender for the Rookie of the Year title.
The only other rookie in the league to find steady ground is the one from Washington. Even with 16 sacks in his bag, Caleb Williams, the overall No. 1 choice in the 2024 draft, and other quarterbacks are still having difficulty playing in the pocket.
One more talented quarterback Bo Nix hasn’t been able to provide reliable results either. Even though they prevailed over the Jets, led by Aaron Rodgers, a much-needed victory was not achieved by Nix. This was even the first occasion since 1998 that the club had achieved minus yards (-7 yards).
Daniels has been performing in his league, though. According to NFL experts, his numbers and the Commanders’ overall divisional success have raised the prospect of a postseason trip for the squad.
