Jayden Daniels' frustrating first half
It was a frustrating first half for Jayden Daniels. The Washington Commanders were two steps behind the Minnesota Vikings on both sides of the football. Kevin O'Connell's offense controlled the clock, which also included a 98-yard touchdown drive that lasted more than 12 minutes. But from the visiting team's side, it was uninspired.
Daniels wasn't getting enough time in the pocket to go through his progressions. On the rare occasions where the Vikings didn't bring pressure, the wide receivers weren't getting open. And offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury went away from the ground game that had some success during the opening exchanges.
There was one memorable throw when Daniels found Terry McLaurin on a nice play design, but that was about it. This was reflected in the quarterback's first-half stats, which were underwhelming at best.
- 50 percent completion (8/16)
- 67 passing yards
- 0 touchdowns
- 0 interceptions
- 1 sack against
- 11 rushing yards (3 carries)
- 61.2 passer rating (ESPN)
The Vikings looked better prepared and much more motivated. Their methodical approach ensured Daniels couldn't control the tempo, and it showed. Washington was chasing the game almost immediately, and things could have been a lot worse than the 14-point halftime deficit ended up being.
Daniels had a mountain to climb, not for the first time this season. And things were about to get much worse.
Jayden Daniels' elbow
Jayden Daniels is an intelligent guy. Playing with the same reckless attitude wasn't going to cut it in his first game back since sustaining a dislocated elbow. That was reflected in his approach, which was a lot more conservative than what fans are used to seeing from the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
There were a couple of heartstopping moments early on where Daniels dove headfirst on scrambles. Not exactly ideal, but the Washington Commanders were having a hard time picking up Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' exotic blitz concepts, which meant the offense was struggling to generate any positive momentum.
Daniels also didn't leave everything on the line during a third-down run near the sideline. His left arm was exposed to punishment if he'd done so, but the signal-caller opted to evade the oncoming tackler with minimal contact and live to fight another day. That spoke volumes.
That proved to be the case a little later in the game. Daniels threw a screen that Andrew Van Ginkle intercepted. The quarterback pursued the edge rusher in a veiled attempt to make a play, which was unwise. He got blown up by Isaiah Rodgers and landed heavily on the arm. That summed up his day, and the second-year pro did not return.