Jayden Daniels has cut a visibly frustrated figure over the last fortnight. The Washington Commanders' franchise player was more agitated in front of the media. He was clamoring to play in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons, but the medical staff erred on the side of caution.
The Commanders were never in their loss to the Falcons. Their offense was missing several key personnel, and the defense couldn't raise the stakes. That raised urgency to get Daniels back into the mix, and it's been all systems go for the LSU product this week.
Daniels was a full participant in practice and didn't carry an injury designation into the clash. He will be wearing a knee brace, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury doesn't believe this will limit his playmaking abilities versus a ferocious Los Angeles Chargers defense.
This was the morale boost everyone associated with the Commanders needed. They were treading water against a potential playoff challenger at SoFi Stadium. Marcus Mariota did an admirable job deputizing for Daniels, but Washington needs its inspirational leader if it wants to match the remarkable accomplishments attained last season.
As it turned out, Daniels and the Commanders dug deep for a memorable victory, and all is right in Washington following last weekend's blip.
With that being said, here are five significant observations from Daniels' performance during his California homecoming.
Major observations from Jayden Daniels' performance against the Chargers
Jayden Daniels' rhythm
With Jayden Daniels missing so much time, it was always going to take a little while for his rhythm to come back. That was made all the more difficult by the Los Angeles Chargers early, who controlled the clock and kept the dynamic signal-caller off the field, for the most part, over the opening exchanges.
This was no doubt frustrating for Daniels. But when the Commanders forced a turnover, that was the opening he needed to turn the screw.
There was a noticeable difference in Daniels' approach from this moment. The timing with his receivers was on point. He looked more comfortable pre-snap and was rarely flustered in the pocket. His pass-catchers stepped up despite being under strength, and it wasn't long before the Commanders clawed their way back into the contest.
Everything was clicking. The Commanders are a much better team when Daniels is firing. There was some apprehension early on, but it doesn't take long for the greatness to show.
Aggression was key. Kliff Kingsbury can be accused of being too tentative. That was probably at the forefront of his mind to protect Daniels after his knee problem. But once the shackles came off, it was all systems go.