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Daniels is ‘something special to watch’ as he throws two TD passes and Washington sweeps the season series against the New York Giants with a 27-22 victory.
As his teammates rushed toward him in celebration, Terry McLaurin stood in the end zone, turned to New York Giants cornerback Deonte Banks and, with a sly smile, shook his head.
With only 11 seconds remaining in the second quarter, McLaurin started a go-route from the 18-yard line, jabbed inside slightly and then back out to throw off Banks in coverage. The move created just enough separation for his quarterback to drop it in the back of the end zone.
The grin and head shake that followed were perhaps a by-product of two years of chirping from Banks — McLaurin insists he doesn’t initiate the chatter but enjoys clapping back — and a reflection of pure joy from the wide receiver. Finally, finally, McLaurin has a quarterback, and never was it clearer than Sunday, when Daniels routinely dotted his receivers with big throws and salvaged a game nearly lost by Washington’s defense.
“Shoot,” McLaurin said as he shook his head in disbelief. “His ability — I’m just going to say it straight up: It was like he walked that ball to me. … The receiver position is one of the most dependent positions on the football field. There are so many things that you have to depend on to go right for an opportunity, but when you play with a quarterback that you can continue to build with, how competitive he is, how smart he is and his ability to make the throws when we need him most, that’s fun for a guy like me.”
Daniels’s consistency in a scheme tailored to him has allowed Washington to fill in gaps. On Sunday, that glaring hole was the absence of Brian Robinson Jr., who was inactive because of a hamstring injury.
No problem. The Commanders still ran the ball 38 times for 149 yards.
Washington’s offensive line continues to spur the running game and keep Daniels protected. Against a Giants front that includes nose tackle Dexter Lawrence (nine sacks in his first eight games), the line kept Daniels clean: zero sacks and only two quarterback hits.
Through years of losing, McLaurin never caved to cynicism. His professionalism has ‘shaped the standard’ for the Commanders.
Terry McLaurin made only two catches Sunday, but they came, as they always do with him, “in the moments we got to have it,” as he said afterward. They gave the Washington Commanders a sense of hegemony, as if there was nothing they couldn’t take or seize from the New York Giants if they wanted it....
