Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels continues to impress. Even in defeat, Daniels was terrific in Sunday’s 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The loss dropped Washington to 4-2, but the Commanders are still in first place in the NFC East. Next up for Washington is the 1-5 Carolina Panthers. While the Panthers are a struggling franchise, the Commanders cannot afford to prepare for them any differently than they did the Ravens — one of the NFL’s top teams.
Fortunately for Washington, Daniels sees the big picture.
“For us, we just got to go out there and play our game and execute,” Daniels said Wednesday. “At the end of the day, it’s the NFL. Any given Sunday, you could lose any game against any opponent. So, it doesn’t matter who you play, you got to go out there, have the same process, respect the process, respect the grind, put your best foot forward on Sunday.”
Daniels sounds like a 10-year veteran here. It’s the perfect response when asked about playing a struggling team.
For years, Washington was that struggling team that fans saw on its favorite team’s schedule and circled as a win. Daniels wasn’t here for any of that. But he already understands that the Commanders must treat Carolina like they did Baltimore or any of their NFC East opponents. Daniels gets it.