The investments made by Washington Commanders owner Josh Harris and his ownership team this past year are beginning to pay dividends almost one-quarter through the 2024 NFL season.
The Washington Commanders played on Sunday as if they were an elite NFL team by devastating Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals on the road, 42-14. For the first time this season, the defensive secondary complemented the offense by holding the Cardinals quarterback to 142 passing yards for the day and shutting down top rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison, Jr., to 5 catches for 45 yards and 1 touchdown on the firstdrive of the day.
In the meantime, Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to mature and impress the league and its fans.
In the past two games, Daniels has been staying in the pocket, running only when necessary and learning to both slide and run out of bounds to preserve his future as the franchise quarterback.
On Sunday against the Cardinals, despite throwing his first interception of the season, Daniels passed for 26 completions on 30 attempts for 233 yards and a touchdown, ran for one touchdown and completed a pass to Zach Ertz for a two-point conversion.
It was a total team effort, including on special teams, as Austin Seibert kicked two field goals to keep his streak perfect for the last three games with 10 field goals on 10 attempts.
The win is a form of validation for General Manager Adam Peters who found a head coach in Dan Quinn. It’s early but Quinn and Joe Whitt, Jr., are obviously missed by the Dallas Cowboys defense this year. In addition, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has shown Cardinals fans his effectiveness as an offensive coordinator after getting driven out of Arizona as head coach.
The Arizona game is another example of progress for the team. From the coaches to young players and rookies to veterans like Frankie Luvu, and to older veterans, including Bobby Wagner and Zach Ertz, there is a chemistry beginning to gel.
There is proof in the pudding that the decisions made during the offseason, prior to and during the draft and free agency, are coming to fruition with a 3-1 record after one division win against the New York Giants and two convincing road wins.
But despite sitting one game on top of the NFC East after week 4, it is still much too early to think too far ahead. How a team remains at the top in the NFL is just as important as how a team bounces back from losing.
The Cleveland Browns travel to Northwest Stadium next Sunday to play a Commanders team likely to be favored and feeling good as NFC East leaders. Still, just as winning can bring the stock up on a young team, losing can quickly bring its stock down.
The true contenders are the ones that battle all season, overcoming injuries and other adversities and then play even better against the elite NFL teams by December and into January.
In other words, while Sunday was a highly impressive performance for this team and the organization as a whole, there is still a long way to go. For now, though, there is a good feeling to be a fan of this Washington football team and optimism for the future of the franchise.
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