Jayden Daniels outplays Joe Burrow to win over Commanders as NFL fans crush Bengals 3-0 | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors
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Joe Burrow threw for 324 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions in the game between his Cincinnati Bengals and the Washington Commanders on Monday.
And he may not even have been the best LSU quarterback at Paycor Stadium.
That’s because rookie Jayden Daniels was brilliant, leading his team to its second straight victory with a 38-33 win over the Bengals. He beat Cincinnati with both his arm (21 of 23 for 254 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions) and his legs (39 rushing yards and a touchdown), delivering exactly the kind of performance Washington envisioned when it selected him with the No. 2 pick.
His biggest moment came when he threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin on third down with just over two minutes left in the game. It was an incredible throw and capped off a performance that Commanders fans will surely remember for years to come.
There were numerous reactions to Daniel’s appearance on social media:
Matt Ryan @M_Ryan02
Jayden Daniels Deal! I love how the @Commanders The employees used it in the first half
On the other hand, Cincinnati’s defense was nonexistent.
Washington did not punt and scored touchdowns on five of its six possessions where time did not expire at the end of the first half and the game. The Bengals appear to be in trouble at 0-3, which led to plenty of criticism of the defensive performance:
Everything indicated that this would be a crucial game for the Bengals team, which had started the season with realistic Super Bowl ambitions.
It was a home game against a rookie quarterback and just after they nearly beat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. The game showed the team’s overall promise. Additionally, Tee Higgins returned from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the first two games, which should give the offense a boost.
And that’s exactly what happened from the start, when Burrow found Ja’Marr Chase for a deep-ball touchdown on the game’s first possession.
But what seemed like the first step to a stunning victory was anything but, as Daniels and the Commanders’ offense torched Cincinnati’s abysmal defense with touchdowns on their first four possessions (not counting) and were brought to their knees at the end of the half.
The rookie quarterback threw a deep ball to McLaurin, found offensive lineman Trent Scott for a trick touchdown and scored a touchdown with his legs. Added touchdowns from Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. as the Bengals offense stalled on three consecutive field goal attempts and the home crowd was audibly frustrated as the deficit grew to 15.
While Burrow scored two more touchdowns in the closing stages with Andrei Iosivas and Chase, giving the Bengals a chance, Daniels had the answer every time. The answer was never clearer than with the touchdown for McLaurin, which came after he had previously found Zach Ertz for a decisive fourth down.
It was an unforgettable performance for the rookie and he will look to build on it in Week 4 with another away game against the Arizona Cardinals.
