Hogs Haven
The Athletic (paywall)
Daniels made his return to the starting lineup Sunday, in a relatively comfortable win over the Los Angeles Chargers. Washington is going to need Daniels operating at his best if it want to be a serious contender, so it’s worth checking in on the second-year quarterback after a rocky start to the season, both in terms of production and health.
Some of Daniels’ best stuff in Week 5 was exactly what we have come to expect from him.
Namely, Daniels did a great job of getting the ball to the right receiver and keeping his throws out of harm’s way. Defenders got their hands on a throw or two, including a deep fade route near the left pylon to Deebo Samuel, but Daniels otherwise didn’t give his opponents a chance to steal one.
He also crushed the Chargers on the move and outside the pocket. Not only did he constantly outmaneuver the Chargers’ pass rush, but he looked as comfortable as ever finding receivers settling in open space. Daniels was accurate on four of six throws outside the pocket, with both incompletions being smart throwaways. And one of his accurate passes was a dropped touchdown by Chris Moore in the back of the end zone.
By the second half…his accuracy rate jumped to 76.9 percent on 13 attempts. Moreover, one of Daniels’ three misses in the second half appeared to be a miscommunication between Daniels and Luke McCaffrey on a deep dig route in the end zone. McCaffrey stopped his route, while Daniels threw it out in front as if he would keep running. It happens.
Washington Times
“I’ve dreamt of moments like this, being able to play in front of my family back in my hometown,” said Daniels, who grew up 75 miles from SoFi Stadium.
His replacement, Marcus Mariota, acquitted himself well in a 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders the following week, but was very ordinary in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week. He was not inspiring. He was not intimidating. He was a backup quarterback.
For a moment, people forgot that Daniels is a game-changer when he steps on the field with his teammates.
There was the closing 99-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Deebo Samuels. Daniels delivered while backpedaling from a Chargers (3-2) pass rush to seal the win — a victory in which Washington came back from a 10-0 first quarter deficit to score 27 unanswered points.
Commanders.com
The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team unless specified by a direct quote.
@MrEd315: What, besides being a mentor, has Von Miller brought to the Commanders?
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