After a memorable start to his league journey, the first major concern of Jayden Daniels' professional career arrived this week. The Washington Commanders quarterback suffered a rib injury against the Carolina Panthers, which came at the worst possible time for someone who was quietly emerging as an NFL MVP candidate in Year 1 of his professional career.
The Commanders took their time with Daniels and took every precaution. His opening two days involved meetings and treatment. Friday saw the signal-caller limited in practice and he received a questionable designation for the clash. After coming through other hurdles unscathed, the No. 2 pick out of LSU got the start.
Daniels achieved his first objective by proving his health to head coach Dan Quinn and his staff. Getting one over on a decent Chicago Bears defense and No. 1 overall selection Caleb Williams was another matter.
As it turned out, an astonishing turn of events on the game's final play gave Daniels and the Commanders their sixth victory of the campaign. And it couldn't have been more dramatic.
With this in mind, here are five major observations from Daniels' performance against the Bears at Northwest Stadium.
Major observations from Jayden Daniels' performance vs. the Bears
Jayden Daniels alleviated early concerns
It was encouraging to see Jayden Daniels settle down early on. Fans were nervously awaiting what they'd see from the quarterback right out of the gate considering he'd missed a lot of practice and he was nursing a rib issue. However, he eased these fears over the opening exchanges.
Daniels looked mobile, took control of the pre-snap reads effectively, and got the football out at all three levels. His deep ball to Pro Bowl pass-catcher Terry McLaurin, in particular, was a notable highlight.
SCARY TERRYYYYYYY 👻
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 27, 2024
📺 #CHIvsWAS CBS pic.twitter.com/20P7FPUt7r
The Washington Commanders took things slowly with Daniels. This was a method used by Kliff Kingsbury during his opening two contests, relying heavily on the run and trying to keep the quarterback out of harm's way as best he could. But the fact he took a big hit from defensive end Montez Sweat and showed no ill effects was more pleasing than anything else.