Jayden Daniels had a tough time of it as expected against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was arguably the worst performance of his professional career so far. The Washington Commanders need him to bounce back immediately during their pivotal NFC East title showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football.
It was a tough battle, but Daniels still played well. There is room for improvement, but individual mistakes and defensive errors cost the Commanders in crucial situations.
There is no time to dwell. Let's take a look at what Daniels did well versus the Steelers and what the No. 2 pick needs to improve on the national stage in Week 11.
Jayden Daniels' impressive traits in Week 10
Keeping the ball out of harm's way
Daniels finished the game with zero turnovers for the fifth week in a row. According to Pro Football Focus, this is also the fourth week in a row with zero turnover-worthy plays at all from the Heisman Trophy winner.
A lot of credit should go to Kliff Kingsbury for both creating a good game plan and Daniels for executing it. The signal-caller knew how tough the Steelers' defense would be. He did a great job of protecting the football.
The former LSU star is an extremely smart football player. Daniels already looks like a seasoned veteran on the field, even against elite defenses.
Making quick reads
Daniels went through his reads very quickly. This created several easy throws on short routes to open things up for big plays.
Not only did Daniels quickly read short routes, but he also deciphered what the defense was doing in every area of the field. This kept the offense moving downfield and kept them in the contest with the Steelers' offense also performing well.
Daniels might also be the best quarterback on slot fade throws in the league. Yet another impressive tool to add to his ever-growing collection.
How can Jayden Daniels improve in Week 11?
Getting out of the pocket
This is Daniels' bread and butter. The Steelers' defense was getting pressure all day. Since this was the best defensive line he has played thus far, you can understand why he was not able to gain his customary yards on the ground.
A big part of why Daniels is so good centers on being able to scramble out of a collapsing pocket and either extend plays to find an open receiver or rush for yardage. This successful formula must return at the Eagles as Washington looks to return to the NFC East summit.
Accuracy
This is not due to the 50 percent completion percentage in Week 10. The reason Daniels had a lackluster completion percentage is due to the number of drops from receivers, including Zach Ertz on 2nd-and-11 that would have been a big first down.
Accuracy was an issue in this game because there were several instances where Daniels either missed his receiver or lost potential for yardage after the catch due to not hitting his pass-catcher in stride.
This is something fans should not be worried about. However, it is still something Daniels must improve on going into Week 11 versus a Philadelphia defense capable of punishing every mistake.