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Austin Ekeler won’t be available for the Washington Commanders on Sunday, but they still have rookie sensation Jayden Daniels. With a Washington Commanders Week 4 game scheduled against the Arizona Cardinals, a lot of eyes will be on rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Ahead of the Commanders-Cardinals game, we’ll be making our Commanders Week 4 bold predictions.
The Commanders are one of the surprise teams in the NFL after their exciting win over the Bengals on Monday night. They’re out of the gate with a 2-1 record, and hoping to keep the momentum going against the 1-2 Cardinals. Washington opened the season with a loss to the Buccaneers before edging the division-rival Giants in Week 2.
Jayden Daniels will again account for 3 TDs
Going into the game against the Bengals, Daniels didn’t look like a legitimate passing threat. But after hitting on a rookie-record percentage (21 of 23) and throwing for 254 yards and two scores — including the game-clincher — things are different for the Commanders’ offense.
Now that Daniels has established a downfield threat with receiver Terry McLaurin, look for the Commanders to seek more opportunities to throw the ball deep. Plus, they will likely hit on at least one of these throws against the Cardinals.
Because the defense will need to be more aware of the deep ball, that will open more running lanes for Daniels. He will be able to keep drives alive and get the Commanders in the red zone more often. He should be able to finish with two touchdown passes and a running score.
However, Commanders’ head coach Dan Quinn isn’t putting pressure on his prized pupil, according to espn.com.
“I definitely understand our fan base has been waiting for the franchise QB, but I also don't want Jayden feeling any ghosts,” Quinn said. “Making sure he understands there's only one name on the back of that jersey and that's for him.
“I don't want to compare him to anybody but him because he's still growing. And quite honestly, I can't wait to see who he's becoming. He had a remarkable game, and I was really, really proud of him.”
The reason Daniels has a chance to keep his momentum going and have a big game against the Cardinals is his leadership skills.
“He has that way about him that he creates energy and belief in others as well,” Quinn said. “We don't want him having and feeling there's any ghosts, (and, we wanted to make sure that was clear. We know how important the position is here to him, to the organization, but we also wanted to make sure you do it in your own way. And we've really seen that.”
Dyami Brown will have a 40-plus-yard reception
This isn’t so much a prediction about Brown as it is the way the Cardinals’ defense will likely approach this contest. Look for the Cardinals to pay tons of attention to McLaurin. When this happens, it can allow for a shot play down the field. And that’s should give Brown a chance to make the big play.
Quinn said Brown has the type of game to make big plays, according to commanders.com.
“(It’s) his ability to get on top of people and stay,” Quinn said. “He's got size, (and) he's got length.”
If the Commanders are going to make a big play happen, they have to be aware of the Cardinals’ best defender, Quinn said to Sports Illustrated.
“Defensively, to me, it starts with Budda Baker,” Quinn said. “Just (in) terms of the speed, that play-making ability. He has good range.”
Commanders’ defense won’t be able to stop Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
It should be a big day for Murray, even though Commanders’ offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury knows plenty about the diminutive star. Therefore, Quinn said the Commanders won’t be caught off guard by Murray, according to commanders.com.
“But watching the tape of Kyler, it's pretty obvious what he's capable of,” Quinn said. “And the playmaking abilities that he has, extending plays. So, a lot of it is pretty easy to see and hard to do.”
Look for Murray to get the Cardinals into the end zone four times, including a couple of passes from him and one rushing score. So if the Commanders want to win, they’ll have to outscore the opponent like in last week’s shootout against the Bengals.
Commanders RB Brian Robinson will get 20-plus carries
It’s not that the Commanders will try to eat clock, but Robinson’s extra workload comes out of necessity. That’s because Austin Ekeler will miss the game because of concussion protocol.
It’s a big loss, Quinn said, according to commanders.com.
“General playmaking ability,” Quinn said. “Very few people have the chance to take a checkdown for five or six yards and it ends up 20 yards. He brings a lot to the team in terms of energy, what he brings to the return side. We'll miss him, no doubt. It's up to other people to step up around his position.”
That means Robinson, who had 12, 17, and 16 carries in the Commanders’ first three games. His yardage totals varied with 40, 133, and 33. This one should balance out more, with a total around 80.
Despite not having Ekeler, the Commanders still present offensive problems, according to Cardinals’ head coach Jonathan Gannon.
“The scheme is hard to defend, especially with the quarterback skillset in what they like to do because you’re plus-one in the run game a lot of times. We’ve just got to be on those details in the pass game and (with) different concepts that attack coverages, so we have to be on the details.”
