Discourse surrounding Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has grown increasingly tiresome as the team struggles to meet the high standard set during his rookie season.
But after his Thursday Night Football performance in a much-needed victory over the New York Giants, hopefully he's shut a few people up.
Some fans pretend Daniels is Washington's knight in shining armor and will label any valid criticism of his play as "hate." Others blame him for the team's record when he is among the least of the Commanders' problems.
Jayden Daniels took risks, made mistakes, and got the Commanders a win
There's no middle ground.
And on Thursday, Daniels showed both the bad and the good of what he needs to be.
For the past few weeks, all of the talk about Daniels has been that he never takes enough risks. Somehow, his lack of turnovers this season was used against him because he was playing it too safe.
Daniels took risks against the Giants, throwing two costly fourth-quarter interceptions while his team was trailing.
Is everybody happy now?
But perhaps all he needed was to regain the muscle memory of slinging the ball through the air, the way he did during that electric rookie campaign.
Washington's defense locked down and gave its quarterback one last chance. Daniels made the most of it by finding wide receiver Stefon Diggs through a tight window for the game-winning 32-yard catch-and-run.
Jayden Daniels must play with supreme confidence to help Commanders thrive
As a rookie, Daniels wasn't afraid to throw the ball deep. He was a dynamic dual-threat with both his arm and his legs, and he was as cool as could be in high-pressure situations.
That version of him has certainly been nerfed a little bit with the injuries he's piled up. He's played not to lose more than he's played to win.
Of course, the Commanders' protection has limited what he can do, but there have been games where Washington's offense just has no explosiveness.
It's on Daniels to provide that explosiveness by extending plays and getting the ball to his top targets, even if the throw isn't easy.
Washington can't force him to put on his superhero cape every week. Even so, Daniels needs to play with the same confidence he had when it was all fun and games two years ago.
So much of what goes into the quarterback position is mental. If Daniels is going to sustain the level of play he showcased during Washington's storybook NFC Championship game run, he just needs to believe in himself a little bit more.
Everyone will benefit.
And the way he closed out Thursday night's win was an excellent start.
Add us as a preferred source on Google