Via 4 weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Washington Commanders (3-1) are among the many largest nice surprises. They is likely to be the most important shock if not for the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings.
Jayden Daniels is the reality. He is doing issues in simply his first month within the NFL which have been unmatched all through all of league historical past and must be thought of not solely the Rookie of the Yr favourite however a respectable MVP candidate.
Nevertheless, it is value noting that Daniels and the Commanders have but to play in opposition to an upper-echelon protection in 2024. It could be a small pattern dimension, and one influenced partially by dealing with Washington’s high-powered offense, however the three groups the Commanders have crushed — the Giants, Bengals and Cardinals — are ranked thirteenth, twenty seventh and twenty ninth, respectively, in factors allowed this season.
Three of the workforce’s subsequent 4 opponents — the Browns, Ravens and Bears — are seventeenth, nineteenth and eighth. That undersells the Browns and Ravens, proficient models which have underachieved so far in 2024 and will likely be trying to get proper. The Browns notably characteristic a Defensive Participant of the Yr-caliber participant in Myles Garrett on that aspect of the ball, one of many league’s elite cross rushers who can wreck a sport.
Then there’s the Ravens, a workforce thought of a Tremendous Bowl contender and stacked with playmakers on each side of the ball. After beginning 0-2, Baltimore has now reeled off back-to-back wins, together with a domination of the beforehand 3-0 Buffalo Payments on Sunday night time. The Ravens are a well-oiled machine and will likely be by far one of the best all-around workforce Daniels has confronted to that time once they play on Oct. 13.
After the Ravens sport, Washington can have what must be an simply winnable matchup in opposition to the cellar-dwelling Carolina Panthers. Then Daniels and Co. will play Chicago on Oct. 27 in a faceoff between the highest two general picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. QB Caleb Williams has proven some promise, however the Bears’ top-10 protection may give the Commanders suits, as they’ve but to permit greater than 21 points to any opponent in 2024.
How Washington fares on this stretch of video games will likely be a large check. As nice as Daniels has been, his begin nearly feels too good to be true — he has but to face any rising pains in his growth, and that is not sustainable for anybody. He is sure to be humbled again to Earth in some unspecified time in the future, and the way he and the Commanders reply to adversity determines their ceiling.
