The Washington Commanders are in the final stages of planning before their crunch Week 2 clash against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. An opening day weekend win over the New York Giants was expected, but if head coach Dan Quinn's squad can make it two-in-a-row, that'll put the NFL on notice.
With quarterback Jayden Daniels leading the charge, anything is possible. And one NFL analyst believes the Commanders on their way to long-term legitimacy heading into the primetime showdown.
The Commanders were in a no-win situation to begin the campaign. If they secured victory over the Giants, which they managed to do comfortably, it wasn't going to move the needle one way or another. If they'd fallen to defeat, skeptics would have instantly deemed their heroic 2024 efforts as a flash in the pan.
Commanders poised for long-term legitimacy with Jayden Daniels leading the charge
This week is much more significant. The Packers are expected to go deep into the playoffs, too. They began with a convincing success over the Detroit Lions, who lost both coordinators this offseason but still represent a huge obstacle to overcome.
Lou Scataglia from NFL Spin Zone thought the Commanders might have enough to get over the hump this year despite placing Washington at No. 6 in his weekly power rankings. He also expects Daniels to be in serious consideration for NFL MVP when it's all said and done.
"I won’t lie, I did think this game could have been a trap game for Washington, but they really didn’t allow it to delve into that. Washington has bigger fish to fry this year, as they came within one game of the Super Bowl and surely added enough talent to get over the hump. Jayden Daniels, their star QB, is also going to earn a ton of MVP votes this year. This franchise has turned itself around over the last calendar year and is comfortably a top-10 team in our power rankings."Lou Scataglia
The Commanders put together a professional performance, leaning on their improving defense to ensure there were no complications versus a division rival. That will suffice against teams like the Giants. Much more is needed at Lambeau Field.
Daniels needs to come to the fore. He needs to display the flawless credentials that took the league by storm during his rookie campaign for the ages. The brighter the lights, the better he plays. That's exactly what fans are anticipating when the Commanders take the field with the national audience watching intently.
Washington made its first genuine statement with a convincing triumph over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3 on Monday Night Football last season. If Quinn and his players can do the same by toppling the Packers, they will be a lot higher on the list next week.