JD5: Washington's Savior

 This past Monday night, millions tuned in to see the masterclass performance that was Jayden Daniels leading Washington to a massive victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Before the game, Washington was listed as a +400 underdog, which meant the Bengals were huge favorites to win the game. Every single ESPN analyst who made their prediction before the game chose the Bengals to win. This makes me think that I could work at ESPN and have more valid takes. I think that people just like to look at the Washington Commanders as a poverty franchise who have been plagued by mediocrity for the past 20 years, in large part due to awful ownership and lack of culture. When they changed the name to Commanders, which nobody likes, it really took something from the culture that this fanbase has had forever.

Before the season, Bengals star receiver Jamarr Chase said that they are the "team to beat" in the AFC. What I think he meant by that is that they are a free win for their opponent that week, as they're now 0-3. Defensive end Cameron Taylor-Britt before the game said that Washington runs a "college-style" offense, and that they "make things really easy" for Daniels at quarterback. He went on to be embarrassed by Washington's offense all night as they ran circles around him and his teammates. Shannon Sharpe even personally called him out, telling him to "shut up" and focus on winning games. When a respected veteran like Sharpe feels the need to comment on something like this, you should listen. I was confident all along that the Commanders would win, because if you watched their first two games, you would have known that it wasn't a crazy take at all. Let me provide a few statistics that exemplify why I knew the Commanders would win.

Through his first 2 games, Daniels was:

40/53 (75% completion rate)

410 passing yards

132 rushing yards

2 rushing touchdowns

96.1 passer rating

Not to mention that the Bengals defensive line was missing 2 starters, I knew that Jayden was going to have a field day. Especially after the goofy comments made from Bengals players, and the motivation to take down fellow LSU heisman winner Joe Burrow. Daniels went on to have a historic night, putting 38 points on the board and setting a rookie record for quarterback rating.

Myself, a Washington Commanders fan, am a huge fan of Jayden Daniels and am definitely biased towards them. I don't want to get carried away, as a lot of work still needs to be done, but this win this past Monday may just have changed the culture of our team. The league has been put on notice, and I love to see it. Don't count us out.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2024 MLB Playoffs: Subway Series?

 10/17/24 With the MLB postseason heating up, we are quickly approaching the 2024 World Series. In the AL, the New York Yankees are currently up 2-0 on the Cleveland Guardians. In the NL, it's the Los Angeles Dodgers up 2-1 on the New York Mets . As a Yankees fan, I am naturally biased and would love to see a Yankees vs. Mets World Series. The Subway Series is taken very seriously when they play as it's a rivalry over the better team in New York. We have only seen this famous rivalry happen in the world series once, and it was in 2000 . It has been a long time, and while I think the Dodgers have the upper hand on the Mets, I think the Yankees still look like the best team in the league. I look forward to watching them play tonight and hopefully in the World Series. An individual player I would like to highlight is the Yankees' very own Giancarlo Stanton . Stanton has had a long and rich career in the MLB. As he's gotten older over the years, his postseason greatness s...
Read more

The Pinstripes

For my first article, I am going to write about the best team in baseball, and most successful sports franchise in history across all leagues. Not even necessary to say who, because you know who I'm talking about. If you're in denial, let me give you a hint: they wear pinstripes. And in this article I want to highlight why I think they are the frontrunner for the 2024 World Series. The Yankees, led by the dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, are the face of the league whether you like it or not. The Yankees are such a polarizing, popular, and iconic team that you either love them or hate them, with no in between. Aaron Judge , who will more than likely go down as the greatest player in history when it's all said and done, has put the pinstripes on his back (literally and metaphorically) giving them one of the best current records in baseball. Playing in the American League East is no joke for anyone, even the Yankees, because of the extreme competition within the divis...
Read more

The Commanders Keep Rolling

 After 9 weeks, the Washington Commanders remain red hot, leading the NFC East at 7-2. It is the hottest start to a season by Washington since the 1990s. It has been no secret that up until very recently, Washington has been looked at as a poverty franchise, in large part due to poor ownership from the Dan Snyder era. Growing up a Washington fan, I have seen little to no success up to this point. With the attention and buzz the Commanders have seen in the media this season, I believe we owe this in large part to the new owner Josh Harris , and none other than star rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels has consistently been putting up generational numbers, and it seems they just keep riding the momentum. In the next 2 weeks, they will be facing off against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles . At this point in the season, I look at these next 2 games as major tests. I do think we will win both games, but it won't be easy. While it still may be too early to say...
Read more