For the first two weeks, Washington Commanders fans wondered when rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and star wide receiver Terry McLaurin would get on the same page. In Washington’s season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, McLaurin broke open deep on several occasions. Either Daniels missed him or didn’t throw it McLaurin's way. McLaurin, as always, remained patient. Daniels missed McLaurin deep again in the first half of Monday night’s 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. However, that disappointment was short-lived as the rookie passer finally connected deep with McLaurin for a 55-yard completion to set up first-and-goal and the Commanders’ second touchdown.
The duo wasn’t finished, though. In the fourth quarter, up 31-26 with over two minutes remaining, the Commanders faced a third-and-7. Would Washington play it safe and go for the field goal? Of course, they wouldn’t. Instead, the Commanders showed complete faith in their rookie quarterback, who delivered a strike to McLaurin in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown. It was a picture-perfect throw and catch.
JAYDEN DANIELS. TERRY MCLAURIN. THE COMMANDERS.
📺: #WASvsCIN on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/bP5qrpGN8q— NFL (@NFL) September 24, 2024
It was a breakout night for the Daniels-McLaurin connection as Washington’s passing game continues to evolve. The moment has Commanders fans buzzing, especially after an iconic photo was captured. It's the perfect highlight of a decisive win over the Bengals. Now, the Daniels-McLaurin connection will look to dominate Washington's next opponent: the Arizona Cardinals.
What's next for the Commanders?

The Commanders are on the road in Week 4 to face the Cardinals. This one will mean more to Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury than most. After failing to build on some early momentum, Kingsbury was fired as Arizona Cardinals head coach. He'll seek to silence some in the region who criticized his methods heavily and design an attack to win. While winning the game will be Kingsbury's primary focus, it will be sweet for him to knock off the man who replaced him: Jonathan Gannon.
The Cardinals are no pushover. They have a healthy Kyler Murray back under center and boast some explosive young defenders capable of impacting proceedings considerably once early momentum is generated. Arizona also drafted wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. at No. 4 overall, who many believe is a generational prospect who has immediately taken the NFL by storm.
With two explosive dual-threat quarterbacks taking the field between Murray and Daniels, it's bound to be a high-scoring matchup. But momentum is on the Commanders' side after a decisive win over the Bengals. Hopefully, that means more dimes from Daniels to McLaurin.