Jayden Daniels Outscores Joe Burrow as Commanders Send Bengals to 0-3: Key Takeaways

By Ben Standig, Paul Dehner Jr. and Mark Puleo

In a battle of recent LSU Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, the rookie defeated the Pro Bowl veteran and may have dashed the Cincinnati Bengals’ playoff hopes before the calendar even opens in October. The Bengals went 0-3 to Washington on Monday, losing 38-33.

For the Commanders, it was Jayden Daniels’ night to prove he’s the future, as the No. 2 pick orchestrated long drive after long drive, leading Washington to five touchdowns. The fourth of those end zone trips came on a 1-yard lob to 320-pound offensive tackle Trent Scott for Daniels’ first career passing touchdown.

JAYDEN DANIELS’ FIRST CAREER TD PASS IS AN OFFENSIVE TD BY A LINEMAN!

📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Streaming on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ photo.twitter.com/xOuWz3wiPa

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

The high-flying shootout kept Daniels and Joe Burrow busy, but made for a draining night for the defense and a dull one for the punters. Monday’s game marked the first game since 1940 without a point or takeaway.

For the Bengals, the loss dented the team’s preseason title chances. Cincinnati entered 2024 with the sixth-best Super Bowl odds, according to BetMGM, but faces a historically steep climb to make the playoffs. Since 1990, only four teams have made the playoffs after starting 0-3.

The Daniels era is here

Daniels has not mattered much at the professional level. The national television audience on Monday night witnessed the calm and compelling talent of the rookie quarterback. In his first primetime game, Daniels frustrated the Cincinnati defense all night long by avoiding one pass rusher and tackler after another.

He steadily delivered deep completions and chain-moving short throws. Then Daniels showed his flair for the dramatic by saving his best for last, a accurate lob of 27 meters to Terry McLaurin for the quarterback’s second touchdown pass of the game and the season. The future is unknown, and yet the future is here for the Commanders in the form of an exciting quarterback. — Ben Standig, Commanders reporter

GALLING DEEPER

Off-center Jayden Daniels appears to be a key player for Washington

Trent Scott celebrates his victory after catching a touchdown pass in the third quarter, the first of Jayden Daniels’ career. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Burrow era reaches a low point

Welcome to the nightmare scenario for the 2024 Bengals. They’ve had slow starts every year, but they’ve quickly found ways to bounce back before the season gets too far away. It’s fair to wonder if they’ve given up hope for the year after Daniels and Washington tore their defense apart.

The Steelers are already 3-0, and the Bengals dropped two home games to teams that drafted in the top five, hired a new coach, and selected a quarterback. When you have Burrow and continuity on the coaching staff, this kind of disaster to start the year just can’t happen. Between all the crap that’s gone on off the field and what’s happened on the field, this is one of the worst three-week stretches of the Burrow era. — Paul Dehner Jr., Bengals reporter

Kliff Kingsbury Makes Commanders Cook

The Commanders need more offensive playmakers. That’s true, at least by fantasy football standards. What’s also true after three weeks is that coordinator Kliff Kingsbury continues to maximize the options available to him.

Washington scored on all six full possessions against Cincinnati, extending its streak to 14 consecutive scoring drives since Week 1, excluding kneel-downs. Remarkable doesn’t begin to describe that efficiency. Running back Austin Ekeler was the driving force behind the early offense, and McLaurin shouldered the scoring burden after halftime. It all happened with Daniels running the show and Kingsbury calling intelligent plays.

When your skill players aren’t headliners, you look for every advantage. Daniels and Kingsbury were masters in that regard. — Standing

Jayden Daniels had a historic MNF debut: 293 total yards, 91.3 comp%, 3 total TDs 🔥@JayD__5 | @Commandants photo.twitter.com/TMUHGzUjsw

— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024

Washington loses Ekeler in win

The Commanders ruled Ekeler out after he suffered a concussion in the second half. Coach Dan Quinn had no update on the running back’s status after the game.

Washington plays the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4. Instead of flying home, the Commanders will train in Phoenix all week. Ekeler will not travel with the team.

He had 55 yards from scrimmage in Monday’s win, including 24 yards on a touchdown run in the second quarter. Ekeler also had a kickoff return for 62 yards. — Standing

Bengals defend old Cincinnati bites

The Bengals’ 2023 defense was abysmal and embarrassing in almost every way. Cincinnati found stability in two veteran safeties and thought that would be enough to put all the problems and explosive plays behind them. After two weeks, it looked like the Bengals were…

On Monday, they not only regressed to the 2023 version, they were somehow worse. They allowed five touchdowns and a field goal. Not only were they giving up points, but they rarely forced third downs. The Commanders were on third-and-short when they ever made it to that down. When Cincinnati forced a fourth down, it never made the big play.

Instead, the Bengals allowed three conversions that kept drives alive. The Commanders’ offense is legitimate, but all the concerns about the Bengals’ lackluster defensive line and mounting injuries were on full display, and there’s no immediate solution in sight. — Dehner

GALLING DEEPER

How Bad Was the Bengals’ Defense Monday Night? Somehow Worse Than It Looked

The Bengals offense was solid, but needed to be perfect

The Bengals’ offense did enough to hold its own, but on a night with no room for error, there was a mistake. Most of it came in the red zone. Cincinnati didn’t throw a point or a turnover all night, but two failed red zone drives and a missed field goal were more than enough to open the door for Daniels and the Commanders. Burrow and his receivers didn’t seem to be on the same page on the two failed drives. It was a blemish on an otherwise solid night for the offense, which had 30 first downs as Burrow threw for 324 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

When the defense is this bad, none of it matters anymore. Dehner

Required reading

(Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)