Jayden Daniels is coming off arguably the worst game of his professional career in defeat to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Fortunately for the rookie quarterback, he's got an immediate opportunity to put things right.
Daniels wasn't helped by some key drops and the Steelers took away his ability to get out of the pocket. It was still a decent effort from the signal-caller, one he'll have learned lessons from before another significant test of his credentials.
The Heisman Trophy winner got his first taste of the Lincoln Financial Field cauldron in Week 11. Daniels and the Washington Commanders traveled to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football, which had huge ramifications for both teams looking at how things stand in the NFC East currently.
Philadelphia's defense posed a different set of challenges for Daniels. He's passed every test with flying colors so far. The No. 2 pick also has the mentality and flawless demeanor capable of coping with the most hostile environments imaginable in pursuit of success.
As it turned out, Daniels and the Commanders couldn't get much going offensively en route to a demoralizing loss. Washington is now 7-4 on the season with the Dallas Cowboys coming to town in Week 12.
With this in mind, here are five major observations from Daniels' performance at the Eagles in Week 11.
Major observations from Jayden Daniels' performance at the Eagles
Jayden Daniels' early hesitancy
There was a lot more hesitancy from Jayden Daniels than usual. Perhaps it was the high-stakes situation or the raucous Philadelphia atmosphere, but the signal-caller had a hard time settling down and getting into any sort of rhythm.
Daniels looked a little jumpy in the pocket, missed some wide-open reads, and didn't get the football out on time nearly enough during the opening exchanges. The Eagles did a good job of keeping him contained and took away his ability to generate yards on the ground for good measure.
Teams are now getting a good feel for Daniels' strengths and how best to counteract them. We'll get to the main reason behind this increased hesitancy shortly, but it was noticeable when one considers how much conviction the No. 2 pick had under center earlier in the campaign.
It's nothing to be overly concerned about right now.
Philadelphia's defense is among the league's best for a reason. It was the same case last weekend against the Steelers. Daniels needs to come up with the right answers to keep things ticking over regardless of the opposition standard.