Jayden Daniels was made for the primetime stage. The brighter the lights, the better he performs, and the Washington Commanders quarterback got the chance to strut his stuff with the national audience watching on in only his second game of the 2025 campaign.
Daniels was solid if not spectacular in Week 1 against the New York Giants. He didn't need to do anything extraordinary thanks to a sterling performance from Washington's defense. The No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft was efficient, protected the football, and did more than enough to get the Commanders off on the right foot.
That sufficed versus a projected bottom-feeder like the Giants. Much more was needed in pursuit of toppling the Super Bowl-chasing Green Bay Packers on the road.
The Packers hold lofty ambitions after securing the services of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons via trade from the Dallas Cowboys. Their opening weekend win over the Detroit Lions made a massive statement. This was a strong early measuring stick for Daniels, and the fact that it was given the Thursday Night Football spotlight only lent further weight to the overall occasion.
As it turned out, it was a lackluster outing from Daniels and the Commanders as they fell to a disapp
With that being said, here are five major observations from Daniels' performance in Green Bay.
Major observations from Jayden Daniels' performance against the Packers
Jayden Daniels was pressurized beyond measure
It was clear from pretty early on that this wasn't going to be an easy evening at the office for Jayden Daniels. The Packers defense came out swinging, putting the signal-caller under immense pressure with disguised coverages and a pass-rush that proved difficult to stop throughout.
The Commanders' offensive line couldn't contain Green Bay's defensive front effectively enough. Micah Parsons was the main tormentor as expected, ruthlessly having his way with anyone he was up against across the line of scrimmage. To make matters worse, they took away Daniels' running lanes, which is his most effective way to keep plays alive.
This made it difficult to generate any momentum. Kliff Kingsbury tried to give Daniels some easy looks, but they didn't get very far. It was a trend that continued throughout the game, and Parsons is quickly becoming the quarterback's neutralizer.
That wasn't entirely surprising. What was eyebrow-raising was the fact that Daniels couldn't find the right answers under duress. This was very out of character for the signal-caller, but he wasn't done any favors by his protection.
Pressure breaks pipes. It's why the Packers mortgaged their future to land Parsons. It's also why the Commanders were second-best throughout the primetime showcase.