It took just five weeks for Washington Commanders quarterback Jaylen Daniels to take the NFL world by storm. Against the Cleveland Browns in Week 5, Daniels has put together a historic performance.
Daniels has run for 71 yards on eight nine, giving him 289 yards on the season. That is the most among any quarterback through their first five NFL games, via Fox Sports. Furthermore, Daniels has thrown for 204 yards against the Browns, putting him over 1,000 on the season. He is the first player in NFL history with 1,000+ passing yards and 250+ rushing yards through their first five games, via Pro Football Talk.
The Commanders opened the scoring via a four-yard Brian Robinson Jr. touchdown run. The Browns hit a field goal, but Daniels and company would take over from there. Washington scored 17 unanswered points, including a 41-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Dyami Brown. Cleveland hit another field goal, but still trail 31-6 late in the third quarter.
Jayden Daniels entered the week having completed a NFL-leading 82.1 percent of his passes. He threw for three touchdowns and an interception, adding a tally to both in Week 5. Alongside his rushing yards, Daniels has scored four touchdowns on the ground; the most of any quarterback entering the week.
In part because of Daniels' emergence, Washington's offense ranks sixth in the league, averaging 382.3 yards per game. On pace to move to 4-1 on the season, Daniels' historic play has put the Commanders on a playoff pace.
But Washington will not get ahead of themselves. They know they have a dynamo in Daniels, but he is still a rookie. He's continuing to grow and absorb information. But an even better and even stronger Daniels is only scarier for the rest of the NFL. They're looking to continue stacking wins and seeing their new franchise quarterback continue on his historic pace.