Jayden Daniels Commanders made a statement in the win vs Bengals

CINCINNATI — rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders stole the show in a 38-33 victory over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.

Daniels, no. The former Heisman winner from LSU showed off his dual-threat ability in the win. He threw for two TDs and ran for one, finishing the night 21 of 23 for 254 yards while running for 40 on 11 others.

Meanwhile, the Bengals offense struggled to find a rhythm for most of the game but made a push in the second half. A fourth touchdown pass from Burrow to sophomore wide receiver Andrei Iosivas pulled Cincinnati within a score with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. Washington answered that with a field goal before Burrow found Chase for his second TD connection of the night with 9:42 left in the fourth quarter to make it 31-26. But Daniels had the final say, spectacularly capping off a 12-play, 70-yard drive that lasted over seven minutes with a perfect 27-yard TD over the sideline to wideout Terry McLaurin to seal an impressive win.

The win improved the Commanders to 2-1 on the season. The Bengals fell to 0-3.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

The Washington Commanders appear to have found a young quarterback to build around.

Rookie Jayden Daniels was revealed to the NFL world, completing 21-of-23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-33 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He also rushed 11 times for 40 yards.

Daniels hurt Cincinnati with his arm – dropping a perfect pass to receiver Terry McLaurin for a 55-yard gain to set up the Commanders’ third touchdown of the first half. Then, three plays after converting a fourth-and-4, Daniels was coached by a blitzing defender – and placed another perfect ball to McLaurin for a game-clinching 27-yard touchdown pass.

Daniels hurt the Bengals with his legs, scrambling for a 4-yard touchdown run around the left end of two plays after catching McLaurin.

Washington has been searching for a quarterback for a long time, through first round picks (four since 2002), trades and free agent signings. The Chiefs started 10 quarterbacks in the last five years. Through three games, Washington can finally look to the future with joy because of Daniels.

Promising performance: Running back Austin Ekeler. Before leaving early in the third quarter with a concussion, Ekeler had a combined 119 all-purpose yards, 62 of which were punt returns. Ekeler has looked good since training camp opened and showed great burst on a 24-yard touchdown in the first quarter.

The biggest hole in the game plan: Defensive receiver Ja’Marr Chase. The Bengals wide receiver is one of the most dangerous skill players in the NFL. But scored touchdowns on catches of 41 and 31 yards when the Chiefs opted for one-high coverage, leaving cornerbacks Mike Sainristil and Benjamin St-Juste without help in Chase’s respective touchdowns.

Pivotal play: Washington converted a fourth-and-4 with 4 minutes, 25 seconds left in the game from the Bengals’ 38-yard line. The Commanders can try to score a 56-yard field goal or spray and play defense. Instead, he picked it up and Daniels completed a 9-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz. Three plays later Daniels clinched it with a touchdown pass to McLaurin.

Disturbing trends: Defending the run. Washington entered Saturday night ranked 29th against the run, allowing 5.1 yards per carry. But the Commander allowed TKTK yards every Monday night. He has used a lot of deep safety looks, keeping extra defenders out of the box, but needs to be better up front. — John Kim

Next game: vs. Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 29)

For the second time in three games, the Bengals are favorites at home over a team that has had a rough 2023 season. And yet again, Cincinnati had a stunning upset.

Led by freshman Jayden Daniels, the Commanders beat the Bengals, 38-33, to send Cincinnati off to an 0-3 start.

Daniels turned in a great performance. Washington scored touchdowns on five of its first six drives, including a 27-yard pass from Daniels to wide receiver Terry McLaurin to seal the win with 2:10 left.

Before the season started, the Bengals were in the conversation to challenge Kansas City for the AFC title. But a third AFC title meeting between the teams in the last four seasons seems a long way off now. According to ESPN Research, only six teams have reached the playoffs in the Super Bowl era after an 0-3 start to the season.

Disturbing trends: Failing to turn things into touchdowns was a problem last week against the Kansas City Chiefs and continued against Washington. In the second quarter, Cincinnati had three drives inside the Washington 30-yard line. The Bengals settled for field goals on all three of them. Kicker Evan McPherson made two of three attempts.

The biggest hole in the game plan: Contains Daniels. The rookie quarterback made the offense look easy in his third career start. Daniels completed 14 of the first 16 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled for one touchdown to help the Commanders torch the Cincinnati defense. Washington scored on its first four drives. — Ben Bayi

Next game: vs. Carolina Panthers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 29)