Hogs Haven
Commanders.com
The Burgundy & Gold’s trip to Los Angeles presented an exciting opportunity for thousands of fans on the Western part of the country to cheer on their favorite team. The scores of Commanders faithful had a loud, energetic presence at SoFi Stadium, helping to cheer their team on to their third win of the season. Adding to the hype for this base was witnessing Los Angeleno Jayden Daniels in action for the first time as a pro in his hometown.
“I’ve never seen so many Commanders fans at one place in one time,” Gloria Sagario said. “It was nice to see.”
That scene and community feel was magnified the following day at SoFi Stadium, where burgundy and gold could be seen in nearly every section.
“Right now, it’s kind of feeling like a home game,” James Sagario said.
Many of those repping the visiting team donned the jersey of Washington’s starting quarterback. Sure, that might be typical attire for fans of any NFL team in-stadium on gameday, especially when the signal-caller won Rookie of the Year honors nine months ago and has ushered in a new era for the franchise. However, this game was special for Washington’s #5 and folks like him who are also from the Los Angeles area.
“I’ve talked to people from the San Bernardino area where Jayden went to high school and they’re coming to the game just to watch him,” lifelong fan Dan Tacante said.
The Athletic (paywall)
The fear was that Jayden Daniels would be limited, that the brace on his left knee — or the knee itself — would hinder his running or his elusiveness, eliminate his quick cuts or somehow slow him down. Or maybe, even worse, that it would affect his passing, rendering him a lesser version of the quarterback he was in 2024.
But on Sunday, in a 27-10 win over the Chargers in his hometown of L.A., Daniels left little doubt about his knee or much else. The deep passing that was lacking in his first two starts of the season showed up in abundance, along with sound decision-making (he slid!), a command of the offense, that same elusive running and a knack for extending drives.
Daniels completed 15 of 26 passes (57.7 percent) for 231 yards, a touchdown and a 100.0 passer rating in the Commanders’ win. Four of those completions were for 20 yards or more (he had only three 20-plus-yard completions in his first two starts). He also picked up 39 rushing yards on eight carries, becoming the first player in NFL history to top 4,000 career passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in his first 20 games.
But there were a handful of plays that really showed the breadth of his ability and his growth as a quarterback.
Washington Post...
