Jayden Daniels ended up playing against the Chicago Bears after being a game-time decision with a rib injury. You can tell that the complication affected him somewhat, but the rookie quarterback turned in a gritty performance full of quality to get the Washington Commanders over the line in dramatic circumstances.
Daniels finished the game with 21 completions from 38 attempts for 326 yards and a Hail Mary touchdown. He also rushed eight times for 52 yards. It was another sign that the Commanders picked the right guy - someone who remains in the NFL MVP conversation around the national media in Year 1 of his professional career.
Jayden Daniels' impressive traits in Week 8
Athleticism and rushing
Everyone was curious to see how much and how well Daniels would rush with the lingering rib injury against a tough Bears defense. The No. 2 overall selection showed everyone that he can still be an elite rusher even not at 100 percent.
The best part was how Daniels would create on the ground before stepping out of bounds and getting out of harm's way, at least most of the time. There is no need to put your body at risk with the possibility of reaggravating an injury, and the signal-caller recognized that.
Daniels still showed his elite elusiveness by making multiple defenders miss. The former LSU star is his own man, but it's truly Lamar Jackson-esque how he easily evades defenders. Injury or not, this remains something the Commanders can build around long-term.
Playing through progressions
This is something Daniels continues to do well weekly. It's what makes him look like a veteran, even though he's only eight weeks into his rookie season.
Daniels quickly going through his progressions and taking what the defense gives to him is fueling the Commanders' offense. This team loves to run the ball, which provides the Heisman Trophy with some extra freedom in the pocket behind a much-improved offensive line.
He is also going through his progressions on longer developing plays at an elite level, finding the open receiver at an extremely fast rate.
How can Jayden Daniels improve in Week 9?
Red zone efficiency
This has been arguably the worst trait for the offense and Daniels this season, at least against good defenses. This proved evident against the Bears. The Commanders dominated in all facets of the game, but settling for field goals almost cost them in the worst way imaginable.
The biggest cases of poor red-zone efficiency came early in the game. Two opportunities involving wide-open receivers could have been touchdowns. It didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but Daniels and the Commanders won't have miracle Hail Mary plays to get them out of trouble if the same trend continues moving forward.
Accuracy
We can't fault Daniels for the few accuracy issues. They were clearly due to the injured ribs. Some inaccurate throws that ended up just falling short were due to his health complications, which prevented him from getting enough velocity on the ball.
As Daniels gets more healthy throughout the week, this should be fixed. Luckily for the quarterback, he had just enough left in the tank on the final play, throwing the football 65-plus yards in the air and into the grateful hands of wide receiver Noah Brown.
It's also important to note that the 55 percent completion percentage is not as bad as it looks on the box score. There were several drops on great passes by Daniels. And he's already proven more than capable of getting the football out on time into the hands of his playmakers.