Predicting the Commanders' next four games after 0-1 start in 2024
By Dean Jones
Commanders at Bengals - Week 3
- Date: Monday, September 23
- Time: 8.15 p.m. ET
- Venue: Paycor Stadium
The Washington Commanders get the opportunity to showcase their supposed improvements with the entire NFL world watching in Week 3. A trip to the Cincinnati Bengals will take center stage on Monday Night Football, which sees two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks out of LSU lock horns for the first time in a professional environment.
Rookie signal-caller Jayden Daniels made a decent enough impression on his full NFL debut. His ability to run the football caught the eye throughout, which was thanks in no small part to a lack of separation from his wide receivers. The No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft also protected the football and himself. There were some missed throws, but it was a pleasing outing overall despite the defeat.
Daniels will be eager to test his skills against Joe Burrow, who took the college football world by storm in 2019 to spearhead the Tigers to a national championship triumph. Things didn't begin well for the Bengals in Week 1. They scored just 10 points and looked out of sync against the New England Patriots en route to a disappointing loss.
All the talk leading up to the game centered on Ja'Marr Chase's status. The prolific wide receiver is looking for a new contract and hasn't featured much in practice of late. He did see the field on opening day, albeit for just 43 percent of the team's offensive snaps.
Whether the Bengals and Chase will have a new deal in place by this point is anyone's guess. Cincinnati should also have Tee Higgins back, so it's another stern test for a Washington secondary that had no answer for the outstanding tandem of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in Week 1.
- Prediction: Loss (1-2)
It would be a surprise if the Bengals weren't markedly better after receiving a rude awakening in Week 1. The Commanders have a tough task on their hands with the national primetime spotlight glaring. But it's hard to predict anything other than a loss when one considers how woeful their cornerbacks looked at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.