By 4 weeks of the 2024 NFL season, the Washington Commanders (3-1) are among the many greatest nice surprises. They could be the largest shock if not for the 4-0 Minnesota Vikings.
Jayden Daniels is the reality. He is doing issues in simply his first month within the NFL which have been unmatched all through all of league historical past and ought to be thought of not solely the Rookie of the 12 months favourite however a official MVP candidate.
Nevertheless, it is value noting that Daniels and the Commanders have but to play towards an upper-echelon protection in 2024. It might be a small pattern dimension, and one influenced partly by going through Washington’s high-powered offense, however the three groups the Commanders have overwhelmed — the Giants, Bengals and Cardinals — are ranked thirteenth, twenty seventh and twenty ninth, respectively, in factors allowed this season.
Three of the staff’s subsequent 4 opponents — the Browns, Ravens and Bears — are seventeenth, nineteenth and eighth. That undersells the Browns and Ravens, gifted items which have underachieved so far in 2024 and can be trying to get proper. The Browns notably function a Defensive Participant of the 12 months-caliber participant in Myles Garrett on that aspect of the ball, one of many league’s elite move rushers who can wreck a sport.
Then there’s the Ravens, a staff thought of a Tremendous Bowl contender and stacked with playmakers on either side of the ball. After beginning 0-2, Baltimore has now reeled off back-to-back wins, together with a domination of the beforehand 3-0 Buffalo Payments on Sunday night time. The Ravens are a well-oiled machine and can be by far the most effective all-around staff Daniels has confronted to that time after they play on Oct. 13.
After the Ravens sport, Washington may have what ought to be an simply winnable matchup towards the cellar-dwelling Carolina Panthers. Then Daniels and Co. will play Chicago on Oct. 27 in a faceoff between the highest two total picks of the 2024 NFL Draft. QB Caleb Williams has proven some promise, however the Bears’ top-10 protection may give the Commanders suits, as they’ve but to permit greater than 21 points to any opponent in 2024.
How Washington fares on this stretch of video games can be an enormous take a look at. As nice as Daniels has been, his begin virtually feels too good to be true — he has but to face any rising pains in his improvement, and that is not sustainable for anybody. He is sure to be humbled again to Earth in some unspecified time in the future, and the way he and the Commanders reply to adversity determines their ceiling.
