Jayden Daniels returned to the field for the Washington Commanders in Week 5 against the New York Giants, and for 69 minutes, it went as well as anyone could have hoped.
Daniels went an efficient 17-for-25 for 199 passing yards while rushing for 103 more, including two long touchdown runs in the second half. Best of all, he finished the game without re-injuring his braced elbow that he dislocated three weeks ago against the Dallas Cowboys.
But then, the play everybody is talking about happened.
Jayden Daniels must use Commanders' Week 5 debacle as a teaching moment
While some Commanders fans want head coach Dan Quinn fired for the clock management disaster that cost them the win, the rest of the NFL fandom — those who don't view Daniels as a protected franchise savior — is having a field day with the third-year quarterback.
Daniels certainly deserves some blame. He did the one thing he couldn't do in that situation: run the ball with no timeouts.
He had tight end Ben Sinnott open but didn't see it quickly enough. And if Daniels couldn't find anybody, he should have thrown it away.
He didn't, and after his mistake, he didn't even seem to realize there was any urgency to get up to try to spike the ball.
Some of that might be poor communication from Quinn and offensive coordinator David Blough, but it's a bad look regardless.
At the end of the day, stuff happens. It's all about how you respond.
Jayden Daniels must respond positively to growing criticism as Commanders' hopes teeter
Daniels took his share of responsibility for the gaffe, though his "from the top down" comment didn't give off the best optics. Everybody is already piling on the coaching staff; he didn't need to be the one to say it.
And now, we have the Jason Whitlocks of the world trying to turn the situation into a broader narrative about Daniels' reputation, questioning his respect in the locker room and comparing him to when Anthony Richardson Sr. got tired and quit on the Indianapolis Colts.
That is laughable.
Daniels has shown he's a high-character player. For someone who has endured a great deal of criticism in the past 12 months after being anointed the best thing since sliced bread, he's handled it well.
Even so, he sometimes gets caught up in the moment on the field and loses situational awareness, which costs his team.
A similar situation against the Giants in Week 1 last year comes to mind, when Daniels picked up an intentional grounding penalty at the end of the first half that cost the Commanders three points. And it goes without saying that he has a problem with constantly exposing himself to big hits.
When you're a rookie, you can be the kid who's just having fun out there. But Daniels is now in his third season. With more experience comes more responsibility.
This is the kind of moment that should push Daniels to see what his position demands beyond showing off his athletic skills. He needs to set the tone as a leader, and lock in mentally as well as he does physically.
And when he screws up? Just say "I'll be better" and leave it at that.
All of Washington believes in Daniels. But after Sunday, it's clear he still has a lot to learn.
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