The Washington Commanders hosted the Cincinnati Bengals at Northwest Stadium for their second preseason game and dropped a 31-17 loss. Here are five takeaways from the evening.

1. The offense is still potent with Jayden Daniels in charge.

Washington's starting offense didn't need to show much to prove it could score at will. All it needed was four plays with the starters taking center stage.

The Commanders moved down the field with ease on their opening drives, starting with a 19-yard jet sweep by Deebo Samuel. Chris Rodriguez Jr. had the biggest play of the night, following his blockers for a 40-yard run that moved the unit to the Bengals' 15-yard line.

Then came the play that drew the loudest cheers from the crowd: Daniels dropped back on second-and-9, saw an opening in the Bengals' pass rush and slipped through it for a 14-yard touchdown to tie the score.

All that took just 111 seconds.

"It was a fun feeling," Daniels said.

The Commanders' offense didn't do much for the rest of the game, strengthening head coach Dan Quinn's belief that they still had work to do to meet their high standards, but the opening drive was a reminder that the unit is still one of the league's best with Daniels in the backfield.

2. There were still mistakes at critical moments.

Quinn called the loss to the New England Patriots "sloppy" partially because of the 13 penalties they committed throughout the night. They were better Monday night with seven, but mistakes were still a problem at times.

The most glaring errors came during the defense's first drive of the game. The unit had the chance to get Joe Burrow off the field on a fourth-and-3 at the Bengals' 49-yard line, but a hard count from Burrow drew a neutral zone infraction from Frankie Luvu. Three plays later, Ja'Marr Chase drew a pass interference call on Noah Igbinoghene that moved the Bengals to the Commanders' 4-yard line.

"What I told the team is penalties, they cost us," Quinn said after the game. "We had a fourth-down penalty. Those were the ones I thought, man, like that's our winning time. We've got to nail those."

The Bengals' opening drive was a reminder of what can happen if the Commanders fail to execute in critical moments. It's something they will need to fix before the regular season opener in less than three weeks.

3. Bill and C-Rod had a night.

The Commanders went into the game wanting to get Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rodriguez more touches. The running back duo responded by fueling their ground attack.

With Brian Robinson Jr. inactive and Austin Ekeler getting zero snaps, Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt combined for 108 of the Commanders' 185 rushing yards on 11 carries. Both players showed patience and trust in their blockers, resulting in the two biggest plays of the night. Rodriguez cut upfield behind blocks from Josh Conerly Jr. and Tyler Biadasz for his 40-yard sprint, while Croskey-Merritt burst through a lane created by Chris Paul and Andrew Wylie on his 27-yard touchdown.

"I thought early, what I liked was decisiveness," Quinn said. "I thought [we] certainly saw some of the big plays."

Quinn said he knew heading into camp that the running back room would be deep and competitive. There are still some decisions to be made, but it looks like the position is starting to take shape.

4.Questions for the quarterback depth chart.

We know how most of the quarterback position is going to look, barring any kind of catastrophe. Daniels will be the starter with Marcus Mariota as the backup, but anything after that is a mystery.

Veteran Josh Johnson and second-year pro Sam Hartman are the Commanders' two contenders to be the third quarterback on the roster, assuming they keep three on the initial 53. Both players have had their ups and downs throughout camp. Johnson has looked sharper in recent weeks. He completed six of his nine pass attempts against the Bengals and has 259 passing yards in the preseason, but he's also thrown two interceptions.

Meanwhile, Hartman had a strong start to camp but has struggled in the preseason. It seems like he knows the offense well enough, but his throws were a bit off against the Patriots and Bengals. He had an interception near the end of the first half that led to the Bengals finding the end zone seconds later, making the score 28-14 after two quarters.

If they do decide to keep three quarterbacks, the Commanders must decide whether to bank on Johnson's experience or Hartman's potential. It shouldn't be difficult to get either player on the practice squad, so perhaps the team will elect to keep two signal-callers on the initial 53 and keep one on the practice squad to provide more depth at another position.

5. The defensive investments up front paid off.

The Commanders made a point to get bigger and more physical up front on defense, and those moves look like they have paid off so far.

The Bengals weren't efficient at running the ball last season, but they still had a hard time finding room against the Commanders' defensive front. Players like Javon Kinlaw and Eddie Goldman made their presence felt at the line of scrimmage, and it resulted in the Bengals getting just 87 yards on 29 carries. Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin -- two players who excel at setting the edge on run plays -- managed to keep Cincinnati's running backs from reaching the perimeter, resulting in the group averaging just three yards per carry.

Although the starters produced just one sack on Burrow, the quarterback was often scrambling in the backfield. The group does not have one clear star, but the players did not over pursue on their rushes, which allowed their teammates to join in on the pressure. It led them dirsupting the timing between the quarterbacks and receivers, resulting in incompletions on first and second down.

There's still work to be done in terms of finishing plays, but putting Burrow under duress is a building block toward more progress.