Jayden Daniels did enough to keep Washington in the fight, but not enough to finish it off.
That was the story in Week 9 against the Los Angeles Rams, where the Commanders were already working uphill without most of their top wide receivers and with an offensive line that was shaky again, especially without left tackle Laremy Tunsil. Daniels had to operate with a thin margin for error, and while he showed poise and some real zip on his throws, the Commanders still came up short when the game tightened.
The result leaves Washington at 2-5-1, and the pressure is only growing as Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants approaches.
Daniels opened well and looked comfortable enough early, standing in the pocket even as pressure came at him almost nonstop. He wasn’t flawless - the lost fumble was part of the problem - but he gave Washington a competent performance in a game that was there to be won.
The Rams weren’t exactly firing on all cylinders either, but they had Matthew Stafford and the brilliant Puka Nacua doing damage, and when the moment demanded a defensive answer, they got one. Myles Garrett, back in the lineup, turned in a three-sack performance that helped swing the game late.
Daniels kept battling right to the end. He pushed the ball downfield, leaned on what little help he had, and tried to manufacture something with his legs when the pocket broke down.
It still wasn’t enough. The protection collapsed around him, and mobility could only cover so much ground.
Washington got some production from the names around him, too. Van Jefferson Jr. led the team in receiving, while tight end Chig Okonkwo chipped in with a few nice plays. But when the Commanders needed one more play, one more spark, one more answer, it never came.
That’s what made this one sting.
The final snap summed it up. Daniels checked it down to Okonkwo as time expired, a safe decision that fit the broader theme of the night. It also fed into the ongoing discussion about his reluctance to take risks.
There was nothing to lose by throwing it into the end zone on the final play. Instead, Daniels took the easier option, and the game slipped away. He still hasn’t thrown an interception this season, but Washington only has two wins to show for it.
After the game, Daniels admitted the Commanders are running out of time. That reality makes Thursday’s meeting with the Giants feel like a must-win, especially with Washington staring at the possibility of falling four games behind the NFC East leaders.
There’s also the trade deadline looming before then.
Without the benefit of All-22, Daniels looked fine. He kept the offense moving as best he could behind a limited supporting cast and an offensive line that can’t be trusted on the edges. But with the Commanders undermanned and barely hanging on, fine just isn’t enough.
In Other News...
Commanders Center Problem Has Become Impossible To Ignore
After the loss to the Rams dropped Washington to 2-5-1, the offensive line again became impossible to separate from the bigger story of how this season has gone. The center position, in particular, has turned into a weekly source of instability, and it is hard to ignore how much of that traces back to the offseason decision-making that left the Commanders leaning on Nick Allegretti after moving on from Tyler Biadasz.
The issue is not just one bad Sunday, either. Injuries have already forced the Commanders to keep adjusting in the middle of the line, and the result has been a unit that never seems to settle into a rhythm. For a team trying to build around a young offense, the center spot has become one of the clearest reminders that the margin for error is shrinking fast. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Nearly Flipped Last Rams Meeting But The Result Still Stung
The last time Washington saw the Rams, the game had the feel of a blowout before the Commanders made it interesting late. At SoFi Stadium in Week 15, Los Angeles controlled most of the afternoon and carried a 28-7 lead into the stretch, only for Washington to find some life behind Jacoby Brissett and a pair of late touchdown passes.
Even with the rally, the Commanders never fully erased the damage from the earlier mistakes and missed chances that put them in the hole. Los Angeles still walked away with a 28-20 win after closing out the final moments, leaving Washington with the kind of near-miss that lingers because it was close enough to wonder what might have changed with one cleaner finish. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Left Tackle Problem Is Becoming Impossible To Ignore
When Laremy Tunsil went down with a torn triceps in training camp, the Commanders had to reshuffle quickly and hand Brandon Coleman the blindside tackle job. It was always going to be a difficult ask, but the recent game against the Rams made the adjustment look even more precarious, with Colemans struggles putting a spotlight on a position the team can hardly afford to get wrong.
The bigger problem is the lack of easy answers behind him. Washington does not have much depth at left tackle, so every rough outing only sharpens the internal debate about how to stabilize the spot before it becomes a season-long issue. For now, the Commanders are left weighing whether to ride it out or make a move from outside the starting five. [Read more 🡒]