Washington Commanders fans worried about Jayden Daniels being a one-year wonder can relax.
The second-year quarterback buried the ghost of RG3, circa 2013, in less than two minutes of the first quarter of Monday night’s 31-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Washington fell behind 7-0 as Cincinnati scored on its opening drive, but the Commanders came right back, keyed by a 19-yard run by Deebo Samuel on a jet sweep and a 40-yard run by Chris Rodriquez. Then, on Washington’s 4th play from scrimmage, Daniels dropped back to pass, found no one open, and scampered 14 yards for a touchdown to tie the score 7-7.
“Yeah, wanted to throw the corner route to [RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.] C-Rod, it was man coverage, and I was late over the middle to [WR] Deebo [Samuel]. And then after that, my instincts kind of just took over,” Daniels said in his post game press conference.
Head coach Dan Quinn said afterward he would have been happier if his quarterback had gone to the ground instead of outracing a defender.
“Yeah, you think those conversations haven’t already been told?” It’s part of his game, and it is what makes him a special player,” Quinn said. “When the second play begins, you know, there’s just an unusual playmaking ability that takes place. Sometimes it’s with his legs, other times it’s with his arm. But it is part of who he is. But, it is one of the things we worked on to say, when you take your shots and when you go. There’ll be more of that. You know, at times, sometimes I’ll say less of that. But you know, for most part today, I’m pleased with the preparation in the game.”
The Commanders may have put to rest the question of Brian Robinson Jr’s future as well.
Robinson was inactive and not at Northwest Stadium tonight amid reports the team was entertaining trade offers for him. His replacement, Bill Crocksey-Merritt raced 39 yards over right end for a touchdown to give Washington a 14-7 lead.
“Going into training camp, we really thought this was a deep room,” Quinn said. “There would be real competition. [RB] Demetric Felton and [RB] Kazmir [Allen], [RB] Bill [Jacory Croskey-Merritt] and [RB] Eck [AustinEkeler], and so we knew this was one of our strengths going into training camp.”
Quinn also said he had talked to Robinson Sunday night to let him know the team’s intention of sitting him out of the game, although he wouldn’t elaborate.
“I’ll keep that between us. News like that, it’s not always that easy, but he’s somebody that we respect a lot. That’s for sure.”
The Bengals closed the half by scoring 21 unanswered points to take a 28-14 lead, but the real story was in the individual performances of players considered key to Washington’s success in 2025.
Safety Will Harris had a pass breakup in the end zone on Cincinnati’s first scoring drive, and Quan Martin had an impressive tackle inside the five on that drive as well.
Edge rusher Deatrich Wise appeared to have an impressive sack on Joe Burrow, but the play was wiped out by a penalty for a horse-collar tackle.
Tight end John Bates made two huge blocks on both Daniels and Crocksey-Merritt’s touchdown runs, and rookie offensive tackle Josh Conerly turned in another good performance, handling his assignments well.
Washington spent a lot of time running over Bates and Conerly’s side of the line, racking up 130 yards on 13 running plays.
The second half saw both teams empty their benches. Neither could muster more than a field goal each as players battled for roster spots, practice squad opportunities, and the chance to impress teams that may be looking for their particular skill set after cut-down day.
Rookie Jaylen Lane led Washington receivers with three catches and 41 yards, almost half of what was gained through the air. Playing less than three hours from his college home in Blacksburg was a thrill for the former Virginia Tech Hokie.
“It’s cool, man. You know, coming out for the first time, I hear a lot of ‘Go Hokies’ [Virginia Tech fans
rally cry] so it’s pretty cool,” he said.
Post Game Notes:
Daniels made sure to get the ball Crocksey-Merritt carried into the endzone and gave it to the rookie after he scored. A gesture Merritt appreciated. “That just shows the leadership he has for this team,” Merritt said. “And it was definitely – I was in the moment when I dropped the football. I planned when I was gonna score my first, I was gonna keep the ball. I was so in the moment, I just ended up dropping it. That’s the leadership that he has, and I’m happy he found it [the football] for me.”
Safety Jeremy Reaves impressed once again, making four solo tackles.
Tight end John Bates had an exceptional game, making key blocks to spring Samuel’s log run and Merritt’s touchdown as well.
Rookie defensive back Trey Amos was held out of the game because of hamstring tightness. Quinn said the team worked him out before the game, but felt it was better to sit him down than take a chance of an injury.
The Commanders have the day off on Tuesday and then begin preparations for Saturday’s preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens at noon.
Bob Matthews is a 33 year veteran broadcast journalist, spending the last 29 years of his career in Virginia. Bob has covered both news and sports stories and for the last three seasons, the Washington Commanders. He looks forward to continuing to provide coverage to Sportsjourney.com both on the website and through his podcast, The Bob Matthews Show.
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