Jayden Daniels was back in action for the Washington Commanders after sitting out the last two weeks with a knee injury and led his team to a 27-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Here are five of his best throws from the win.
1. Luke McCaffrey flips the field with a 50-yard catch.
The Commanders were given new life near the end of the first half after the Chargers were penalized for running into punter Tress Way. The flag moved them up from their own 2-yard line to the 17, giving Daniels a little more breathing room.
It didn't take long for Daniels to take advantage of the new field position. Daniels launched a pass deep downfield to McCaffrey, who was covered by cornerback Donte Jackson. There wasn't much room for Daniels to fit the pass, but he managed to put it in a spot where only McCaffrey could get his hands on it.
McCaffrey took over from there. He made the diving grab at the Chargers' 33-yard line, giving the Commanders a chance to at least tie the score before halftime.
2. Deebo Samuel gets the Commanders into field goal range before halftime.
Two plays after McCaffrey's catch, Daniels helped seal the Commanders' chances at tying the score.
With the ball at the Chargers' 33-yard line and 20 seconds on the clock, Daniels dropped back to survey his options. Samuel, who was originally lined up out wide to Daniels' right, ran a crossing route and found a soft spot in the Chargers' coverage at the 12. It was a routine throw-and-catch between the two players, but the real challenge was getting lined back up to spike the ball with five seconds left on the clock.
Daniels' throw to Samuel got kicker Matt Gay in range for a 29-yard field goal that tied the score at 10 apiece -- a monumental win for the team considering how the game started.
3. Daniels finds his groove by converting a third-and-16.
Earlier in the game, it looked like Daniels and the Commanders were going to waste an opportunity to regain some momentum following Marshon Lattimore's fumble recovery. Daniels was tackled for a one-yard loss, and a false start backed the offense up even further for a third-and-16.
With a clean pocket and nearly three seconds of time to find an open receiver, Daniels delivered a dart to rookie Jaylin Lane right at the first-down marker. For a moment, it looked like cornerback Benjamin St-Juste had ripped the ball away, but Lane held onto the ball and fought through the coverage to give the Commanders a fresh set of downs.
That play was exactly what Daniels and the Commanders needed to get in sync, as they proceeded to march down the field and score their first touchdown six plays later.
4. Daniels connects with Samuel for an 18-yard pickup in the third quarter.
This next throw might not have directly led to points, but it did show how much Daniels has come to trust Samuel.
The Commanders set up shop at their own 38-yard line following a turnover on downs by the Chargers. Daniels spotted Samuel running another crossing route, although this one had better coverage than the one at the end of the first half. Still, Samuel had a step on St-Juste at the 45-yard line, and he used his superior size to come down with the catch for an 18-yard gain.
It was just one moment in what ended up being a solid day for Samuel, who led the team with 96 yards on eight catches.
5. Daniels finds Samuel for his fourth touchdown pass of the season.
The Commanders were looking for a way to close out the game late in the fourth quarter, and Daniels managed to supply the exclamation point on the comeback. Of course, he looked for Samuel to help him do it.
The Commanders decided to keep the offense on the field for a fourth-and-7 at the Chargers' 8-yard line. The pressure got to Daniels quickly, forcing him to backpedal to the 23. Daniels was just buying time, though, because he spotted Samuel open in the end zone. He flicked the ball to the wideout, who made the effortless catch before being tackled out of bounds.
The play put the Commanders up by 17 points with 1:08 left to play, and since the Chargers had already used all their timeouts, all they could do was run out the clock.
