I’ve been a Washington fan since I was six years old. I’ve been lucky enough to see some great games during my time as a fan. Yesterday’s performance was among the best and most complete games I’ve seen in Washington in the last two decades.

The Commanders looked rested and ready for a short game week in Arizona, and although they gave up a touchdown on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game, they really owned this game from that point on. The offense appeared to be in form midseason and Jayden Daniels is playing like a 10-year veteran in Kingsbury’s system. Even the defense stepped up, holding the Cardinals to just 14 points and 296 total yards.

Washington is now 3-1 and in sole possession of first place in the NFC East!

Below are my studs of the game, followed by some notes.

Stollen:

That boy Jayden – This young man is something else! He is mature beyond his years, can handle pressure, always seems to be in control and has all the intangibles you would expect from a franchise quarterback. Sure, he threw his first career NFL interception yesterday on a poorly thrown ball, but I don’t think there’s a fan of this team who cares. The way he played yesterday was just magical – again.

Daniels was 26/30 for 233 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He added 47 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Brian Robinson/Jeremy McNichols – The duo of Robinson and McNichols combined for 169 rushing yards and three touchdowns (2 by McNichols) on the afternoon. They added four receptions for a total of 18 receiving yards. McNichols was again excellent at collecting blitzes in pass defense while Robinson had some impressive blocks downfield.

Terry McLaurin/Olamide Zaccheaus – McLaurin and Zaccheaus were instrumental in Daniels’ passing success throughout the afternoon, showcasing their ability to create separation, convert third downs and make difficult catches. They combined for 13 receptions for 137 yards and one touchdown (McLaurin).

Commanders’ offensive line – I’m as strict as anyone when it comes to evaluating the performance of our offensive line. Other than that, yesterday’s game against the Cardinals was the best I’ve seen in line play in run blocking and pass protection in over five years! Lucas, Allegretti, Biadasz, Cosmi, Wylie, Coleman And Scott were excellent all afternoon. I was particularly impressed with freshman Coleman’s pass defense when he was deployed at left tackle. MAJOR progress for this unit!

Frankie Luvu/Bobby Wagner – Luvu and Wagner were all over the field, wreaking havoc on the Cardinals’ offense. They recorded a total of 17 tackles, one sack (each player had half a sack), one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, four pressures and one forced fumble and recovery (Luvu).

Dorrance Armstrong – After a relatively quiet start to the season, Armstrong had his breakout game against the Cardinals with five tackles, one and a half sacks, one tackle for a loss, three quarterback hits, four pressures and a forced fumble.

Cliff Kingsbury – Kingsbury continues to call masterful plays. Washington’s offense is running and he puts his quarterback in position to succeed.

Duds:

Nobody should be mentioned by name!

Notes:

• Austin Seibert remained perfect this season, making both field goal attempts (45 and 38) and hitting all of his extra points.

• As bad as this secondary was early in the season, no Arizona receiver had more than 45 yards receiving. The only really bad play I can remember in the secondary was the fourth-and-12 play against Harrison for the easy first down.

• Jeremy Chinn played a very active game and improved his tackling compared to the start of the season. He recorded eight tackles and a forced fumble.

• John Bates continued his excellent blocking!

• Payne and Allen seem to be putting the pressure on out there. There was a play early in the game where Payne flew down the field and lost his lead – allowing Conner to gain a big lead. On the next play he was called for offside. However, the matchup caused some chaos in the Cardinals’ backfield, resulting in seven tackles (five by Allen), a sack and a half, a tackle for a loss and two quarterback hits.

• Washington has only fumbled once in the last three games!

• Thank the staff in Washington for the decision to travel directly to Arizona during the short week from Cincinnati. The team looked rested and ready to play!