Jayden Daniels knows comparisons exist between him and star veteran quarterbacks. That doesn’t mean the Washington Commanders rookie has to like it.
The Week 6 matchup pits Daniels’ team against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL’s spotlight game on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.
“I don’t like when people really try to compare me to Lamar and vice versa,” Daniels said following Wednesday’s practice. “We’re two different players. … I’m not close-minded, I always want to be able to grow, but at the end of the day, I want to be known as Jayden Daniels and not the next such and such.”
That anyone would ponder a side-by-side assessment of a two-time MVP and Daniels speaks to the rookie’s impressive start and Washington’s surprising 4-1 record. Daniels leads the league in completion percentage (77.1 percent), while his 1,135 passing yards and 300 rushing yards puts him fifth among quarterbacks in total yards. After the Week 5 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Daniels became the first player to ever post 1,000 passing yards and at least 250 rushing yards through his first five games.
Jackson himself agreed that Daniels — who has described his relationship with Jackson to have a big brother-little brother dynamic — is just that: Daniels, and not the next Jackson-in-waiting.
“(Jayden) is his own player, (and) he’s his own man, at the end of the day,” Jackson said. “We’re just trying to make a name for ourselves, not anyone else, so I agree with that — definitely.”
Veteran tight end Zach Ertz said it’s a “disservice” to compare the two Heisman-winning quarterbacks, while Washington coach Dan Quinn balked at the comparison talk other than to say both are “elite competitors.”
“They’re not playing against each other. … I respect the storyline for ya, but at the end of the day, (Jayden’s) got to do his thing,” Quinn said.
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Daniels has shown he’s a passer first and a dangerous one with his league-leading completion percentage and downfield accuracy. That he picks up first downs or chunks of yards with his legs makes the defensive challenge sincere.
In similarly dominant fashion, Jackson’s performance this season might be his best ever through five games. Jackson’s 1,544 total yards currently leads the league and is the second-most yards through five games in Jackson’s career. This is also his second-highest mark of rushing yards per attempt (6.8) and third-most passing touchdowns (9) coupled with a career-low interception rate (0.7 percent) through five games.
Washington is coming off its best defensive showing this season with seven sacks in Sunday’s 34-13 win over the Cleveland Browns. But Jackson and the Ravens attack present far more problems.
“They are very mobile. (They) can use their feet to get out of the pocket, eyes down the field,” Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu said of both Heisman winning quarterbacks. “It’s going to be a good challenge. I’ll take my options with 5 (referring to Daniels’ number) any day and (against) any team.”
(Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
