Jayden Daniels has played pretty well this season. Aside from a couple of glaring concentration lapses and a dislocated elbow, it's been smooth sailing for the Washington Commanders quarterback, but the overall team results haven't shown it.
And that hurt Daniels as much as anyone.
Fortunately, the Commanders' bye week came at the perfect time.
Morale was low, so getting time to step back, refocus, and make changes was no doubt welcome for everybody. This also gave Daniels more time to heal, which could make a massive difference.
The Commanders were back on prime time with a winnable contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. Their NFC East rival was on a five-game losing run heading into the clash. They've lost quarterback Jalen Hurts for the season, and right tackle Lane Johnson's retirement has had an inevitably bad impact on the offensive line.
With pressure building, there was simply never a better opportunity for the Commanders to get one over on the Eagles. They were favored, urgency was high, and the fan base was expectant.
But talk is cheap right now.
As it turned out, the Commanders' signal-caller came through with 27 unanswered points as Washington pulled off a scrappy win over its floundering NFC East rival.
With that in mind, here were five major observations from Daniels' performance on Sunday Night Football at Northwest Stadium.
Observations from Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels' performance against the Eagles
Jayden Daniels' nervous start
The pressure on everyone entering this game was enormous. Every player and coach knew how high the stakes were, and this came with some inevitable jitters from the Washington Commanders over the opening stages of the clash.
Jayden Daniels wasn't helped by his pass catchers on occasion.
Wide receiver Treylon Burks dropped an easy completion that would have moved the chains on third down, and tight end Chig Okonkwo inexplicably fumbled when a decent gain was in his immediate sights. Of course, there were also some frustrating penalties thrown in for good measure as Washington just didn't look ready to play.
Daniels wasn't immune from criticism. He also missed some notable opportunities, especially towards the sideline. The timing seemed off throughout the first quarter, and things didn't click as fans would have hoped following their extended rest over the bye week.
The Arizona State product wasn't happy. Daniels pulled everyone on offense together on the sidelines to make his feelings known. The signal-caller isn't the biggest talker, but when it's needed, he isn't afraid to speak up.
It had the desired effect. And as the first half wore on, the more comfortable Washington's offense looked against an Eagles team struggling to find consistency.
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