Daily Slop - 1 Oct 24: Commanders RB Jeremy McNichols is the top-ranked runner by DVOA

Commanders links Week 4 Quick Reads: Jayden Daniels' Incredible Start Jayden Daniels is having an amazing start to his career. You've probably seen the remarkable stats across the Internet. Here are some and here are some more . DVOA does not love the Commanders as much as EPA does, but they still rank second so far in offense trailing only the Baltimore Ravens .

Daniels is just as impressive in our individual passing stats. Daniels is currently second in passing DYAR behind only Brock Purdy. He is first among qualifying quarterbacks in DVOA, but has 17 fewer pass plays than Purdy.

The question now is whether Daniels can keep this up. To answer that question, I went looking for rookies who started their career similarly. I looked at team offensive stats because that was easier and less time consuming, but I went and looked at the best rookie quarterbacks in their first four starts since 1979.

If we look at the team offensive DVOA in a rookie quarterback's first four starts, Daniels is second behind only Brock Purdy for the 2022 49ers. There are other quarterbacks who are higher than Daniels in team passing DVOA, including Ben Roethlisberger, Dan Marino, Deshaun Watson, and Dak Prescott. But of course, Daniels is part of Washington's running game too.

What stands out from this list is that nearly every quarterback on it continued to play well for his entire rookie year. Obviously, they didn't all have great careers, but it's hard to argue that Robert Griffin's injuries tell us much about what will happen with Jayden Daniels. The major exception is Colt McCoy, who was surprisingly good in his first four starts for the 2010 Browns before fading and getting injured. But McCoy is really not a good comparable for Jayden Daniels

The moral of the story is that there is every indication that Daniels will be able to continue at a high level.

Top Five Running Backs (Total)Jeremy McNichols had touchdowns of 27 and 7 yards plus a 15-yard gain on a fourth-and-1. He didn't receive a carry in three games for the 2023 49ers and he wasn't even in the league in 2022

Top Five Wide Receivers or Tight EndsOlamide Zaccheaus gained first downs on all six of his receptions.

Bullock's Film Room (subscription) Jayden Daniels stars again as Commanders beat Cardinals Breaking down another fantastic performance from rookie QB Jayden Daniels

This time, Daniels lines up under center and fakes a run to the left before rolling out to the right on a play-action bootleg. At the snap, Daniels shows good technique, reverse pivoting out from under center before extending the ball out to the running back to sell the play-action fake. He then rolls out calmly under control and gets his head turned around to locate his targets. He spots Olamide Zaccheaus running a comeback off a double move. You can see the anticipation from Daniels on this throw, he begins his throwing motion while on the run before Zaccheaus is out of his break. That enables him to maximize the separation that Zaccheaus gets from his route as the ball arrives before the defender can close on him.

Daniels continued to display various positive traits as the game went on. We've seen him layer a nice throw to McLaurin and show good anticipation while throwing on the run. Later in the first half, he showed great patience to allow a route to fully develop.

The Commanders are in a two-minute drill at the end of the first half here. They line up with three receivers to the right and McLaurin isolated to the left. Ertz runs a basic cross from the slot while the two receivers on the outside run a dagger concept. As Daniels drops back to pass, he looks to Ertz in the middle of the field and finds that Ertz gets heavily bumped by the linebacker sitting in an underneath zone. Typically that level of contact and disruption would make a route dead and force the quarterback to move on, however, Daniels shows good patience here. He knows he has time in the pocket and doesn't rush things, as perhaps he did a few times earlier in the season.

Daniels allows Ertz to fight through the contact and spots the linebacker peeling off Ertz and triggering down on the shallow cross from McLaurin underneath. Daniels can see that both underneath defenders are attaching to McLaurin, leaving Ertz free over the middle. So when other quarterbacks might have moved on from Ertz quicker, Daniels sticks with him and finds him open over the middle for a nice chunk of yards.

The Athletic (paywall) Jayden Daniels and the Commanders' offense have been even better than you think Washington has scored on 68 percent of its drives, the highest rate through four games for any team since at least 2000, per TruMedia. You might recognize the teams right behind the Commanders on that list. Not even Brady's 2007 New England Patriots scored this frequently to start their historic unbeaten regular season.

Drive scoring rates, Games 1-4: 2000-24 The Commanders' offense has produced at least 8.0 EPA in each game this season. Washington played 387 regular-season games from 2000 to 2023 without hitting that mark in more than two successive games within a season.

What happens when defenses get a better read on the Commanders' tendencies?

"The great teams have a next pitch," the exec said. "It will be interesting to see what it looks like as it goes."

The schedule could help even out things. Washington faces Cleveland, Baltimore , Chicago and Pittsburgh over the next six weeks. Those teams are collectively allowing 18.5 points per game to opposing offenses.

Washington Post (paywall) Hail or Fail: Commanders put it all together in biggest road win since 2001 Thanks to a career game from Jeremy McNichols, Washington's offense continued to roll. The defense also played well in the Commanders' third straight win.

Hail: Third- and fourth-down conversions After converting 9 of 12 third downs, Washington ended the day with the highest third-down conversion percentage (53.5) in the league. Not bad for a team that ranked 24th in that statistic with a 35.6 percent conversion rate a year ago. McNichols's big day included a 15-yard run on fourth and one from the Arizona 40-yard line in the third quarter, a conversion that led to Austin Seibert's second field goal and a 27-7 lead. Washington, Kansas City and Buffalo are the only teams that are perfect on fourth down this season. (Meanwhile, the Commanders' defense is allowing teams to convert on third down a league-high 54.8 percent of the time.)

Fail: Taunting penalties Olamide Zaccheaus had his best game as a Commander, catching six passes for a team-high 85 yards, including a pair of third-down conversions on Washington's first two touchdown drives. After his 14-yard catch on a 12-play touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, the former Virginia star wideout flipped the ball in the direction of Cardinals safety Jalen Thompson, drawing a 15-yard penalty for taunting. Later in the quarter, McNichols was flagged for pretending to shoot a bow and arrow toward the emptying seats in the upper level after his second touchdown run. The call was reminiscent of the time former Washington cornerback Josh Norman was issued an unsportsmanlike conduct and fined $10,000 after celebrating his first interception with the team in similar fashion in 2016.

Commanders.com Final thoughts | Jayden Daniels' work ethic gives him confidence The Commanders emerged from the first four games of the season mostly unscathed by injury, although some players are still banged up. Add Nick Allegretti to that list, as he injured his ankle during Sunday's game. Quinn said Allegretti and the team are in the early stages of evaluating the severity of the injury, so he couldn't provide much of an update. Allegretti will be monitored throughout the week to see how much work they can give him.

As far as players who could receive the "return to play" status, which includes quarterback Marcus Mariota and rookie linebacker Jordan Magee, are concerned, the team will provide updates on Wednesday. Mariota was placed on Injured Reserve at the start of the season and is eligible to return starting this week. Magee's injury occurred before the season began, but Quinn said at the time that the injury was not season-ending.

There was no update on running back Austin Ekeler, who was placed in the concussion protocol last week. Ekeler will be eligible to return if he is able to clear the protocol during practice this week.

Dan Quinn: No 'magic pixie dust' to Jayden Daniels' hot start "There's no magic pixie dust that we're throwing into him," Quinn said Monday. "It is absolutely grinding, working, and a lot of confidence comes from that. He can enter the game knowing that he put the work in."

Four games into his rookie season, Daniels already has established NFL records — in addition to helping Washington go 3-1 for the first time since 2011.

Coaches and teammates have praised Daniels since spring practices began in May. He would arrive at the facility at 5:45 a.m. daily for extra film sessions and then walk through some of the plays. He's still typically the first player in the building during the week.

Quinn said that while the team was in Arizona, the quarterback room was a few doors from his office and he saw Daniels with the other signal-callers watching film "again and again."

That's why, the coach said, "there's not any magic" to the rookie's start.

"I know that's hard to say, but he absolutely works his ass off," Quinn said.

Sports Illustrated Commanders HC Delightighted For Kliff Kingsbury Following Win vs. Former Team The Washington Commanders head coach was thrilled for his offensive coordinator following win over former team in the Arizona Cardinals.

The defense could still use some tinkering, but the Commanders' offense has been on fire over the past few weeks and was exemplified by Washington putting up 42 points on the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend. The exemplary play by Jayden Daniels has been impressive because he has come in as a rookie and taken complete control over what the Commanders and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury want to do.

Following the lopsided victory, Commanders' head coach Dan Quinn spoke to the media about how much this game meant to Kliff Kingsbury and the subsequent game ball he received in the locker room following the game.

"I thought Kliff (Kingsbury) was really - Over the last few weeks, I thought the connection, the game planning to go, and so yes he did. I've been in that space before and know there's some emotion that goes with that of playing somewhere where you put so much into it and it doesn't go the way that you want," Quinn said. "So yeah, he definitely got one today and there'll be some others as we get back home, but I wasn't going to leave Arizona without presenting one to him. But he did an excellent job all week, honestly just like staying in it, the game plan, the focus, the effort and no one would've ever known otherwise."

Upcoming opponentDawgs by Nature Browns vs. Raiders: Defensive line stunts continue to be Cleveland's kryptonite The Browns' offensive line proceeds to implode when it comes to defending DL

The Browns faithful witnessed more of the same nonsense from the offensive line, defensive backs, and wide receivers that have plagued the team throughout the first four games of the year.

These issues are centered around the group's inability to slow down or effectively deal with stunts by the defensive line, regardless of their complexity.

Incredibly basic, half-line defensive stunts are the types of things that most NFL offensive lines have no problem dealing with but for some reason, Cleveland can't seem to stop them.

Here's an interior stunt that, once again could've been stopped by the offensive line staying in their lanes. Three out of Las Vegas' four defensive linemen get to Deshaun Watson on this play due to C Nick Harris not passing off the 1-technique to RG Zak Zinter when the 3-technique loops around inside.

It also didn't help that LG Joel Bitonio went out wide to block the defensive end which left a gaping hole for the looper to run through in the "A" gap.

Unless these issues get fixed, Deshaun Watson is going to continue getting pressured unnecessarily every week.

Podcasts & videosNFC East links NFL Week 4: Biggest questions, takeaways for every game What should we make of the Eagles heading into their Week 5 bye? They're an average, mistake-prone team right now. True, they were operating without OT Lane Johnson (concussion), WR A.J. Brown (hamstring) and WR DeVonta Smith (concussion) against Tampa Bay, but that doesn't excuse them sleepwalking through the first quarter, when they were outgained 186-0. It doesn't absolve a defense that gave up nearly 30 first downs and well over 400 yards to the Bucs. And it doesn't wash away the fact that they have lost the turnover battle in every game so far. The coaching has left something to be desired, as the talented roster has struggled to put it all together. It will be a long couple of weeks in Philly before the Eagles host the Browns on Oct. 13.

Promising/troubling trend: Jalen Hurts has 27 turnovers since start of last season, the most in the NFL (four more than anyone else). Seven of those have come this season, which ranks second in the NFL behind only Titans quarterback Will Levis. Hurts had a crusher of a giveaway late in the third quarter at the Tampa Bay 19-yard line. He initially evaded pressure from LB Lavonte David on first-and-10 but was stripped from behind by David as Hurts tried to take a shot into the end zone. As has been the case with many of his turnovers, it was an example of trying to do too much.

Biggest hole in the game plan: RB Saquon Barkley had just two rushes on the Eagles' first three possessions as the team fell behind 24-0. On a day when Philadelphia was missing its top two receivers and its standout tackle in Johnson, a Barkley-heavy, ball-control game plan would have served the team well. The coaching staff waited too long to get him going. — Tim McManus

Next game: vs. Browns (Sunday, Oct. 13, 1 p.m. ET)

Is it too early to call them NFC East contenders? No. It's still early, of course, but they've playing as well as any team in the division and with a lot of confidence. Washington has an explosive offense as its only punted once and scored 101 points its past three games. Jayden Daniels is a dual-threat quarterback who has yet to look like a rookie. And the run game is solid. The defense played its best game in containing Arizona's offense on Sunday as well.

Describe the game in two words: Terrific execution. Washington's run game excelled thanks to play design and execution. The Commanders ran from a variety of formations, causing confusion and opening holes. Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 101 yards and backup Jeremy McNichols, filling in for Austin Ekeler (concussion), rushed for 68 yards and two touchdowns. The Commanders scored on three of four red zone possessions.

Most surprising performance: Washington's defense entered Sunday ranked 29th in both scoring and yards. It allowed Arizona to score with an easy 55-yard drive on the first possession, but the Commanders controlled the Cardinals after that. They sacked quarterback Kyler Murray four times and held Arizona to 2-of-9 on third-down conversions. — John Keim

Next game: vs. Browns (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET)

Just how big was this win against the Giants? Imagine what a loss would have been like. Three straight losses, and it would have been Armageddon. Folks would be wondering when the Cowboys would win again, with a schedule that features the Steelers, Lions and 49ers in the next month. The Cowboys can take some solace in their run defense, even if the Giants don't have an Alvin Kamara or Derrick Henry in their backfield. In addition, WR CeeDee Lamb rebounded from a poor performance against the Ravens in Week 3.

Most surprising performance: Cornerback Amani Oruwariye was elevated from the practice squad Thursday afternoon, and he dressed because rookie Caelen Carson was out with a shoulder injury. Oruwariye was then called on in the second half after Andrew Booth struggled, and he ended the game with an interception on a Hail Mary. Carson's injury might not be long term, and DaRon Bland ( foot ) has had his eyes on a potential return against the Steelers, but Oruwariye helped settle down the secondary.

Eye-popping stat: Quarterback Dak Prescott completed 22 of 27 passes, marking the 12th time he has completed at least 80% of his attempts in a game, which is the most by any player since 2016. Prescott was dialed in throwing outside the numbers, completing 10 of 12 throws for 117 yards and a touchdown, according to ESPN Research. Inside the numbers, he was 12-of-14 for 104 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 5.4 air yards per attempt, his lowest mark in a game since Week 3 of last season, after averaging 8.8 in the first three games. — Todd Archer

Next game: at Steelers (Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Have the Giants closed the gap between themselves and the top of the NFC East? They've definitely closed the gap on the Cowboys, as evidenced by what unfolded Thursday night. The Giants got outscored 89-17 in their two meetings with Dallas last season, but they had a chance to win in the first meeting this time. "Again, the result stinks," coach Brian Daboll said, "but I thought there was improvement."

Early prediction for next week: Rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers is back for Week 5 in Seattle. He left Thursday's contest late in the fourth quarter with a concussion . But Nabers was in the Giants' facility on Friday and in good spirits, according to Daboll. The 10 days in between games gives him a better chance to clear the concussion protocol and not miss a game.

Troubling trend: The Giants averaged 1.1 yards per carry against a Cowboys team that came into the contest with the worst run defense in the NFL. Running back Devin Singletary had 14 carries for 27 yards. Quarterback Daniel Jones did nothing on the ground. This wasn't the blueprint for success against the Cowboys. Not even close. That will need to improve if the Giants are to get a win against the Cowboys or Eagles this season. — Jordan Raanan

Next game: at Seahawks (Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET)

NFL.com Lions QB Jared Goff has perfect night passing, records 1st TD catch in win over Seahawks

Then again, Goff also threw for 292 yards, two touchdowns — including a 70-yarder — and caught his first career TD, so there was plenty to digest and celebrate for Detroit.

"I just gave the game ball to somebody else, so I feel awful right now," Campbell said after the game. "I knew he played a heck of a game. I did not realize he was perfect. I did not know he was literally 18 for 18. But I knew he played really well."

NFL league linksWashington Post (paywall) NFL says it did not find sufficient evidence to punish Brandon McManus The kicker, accused by two women in a lawsuit of sexual assault, is a free agent after being released by the Commanders in June.

The NFL does not plan to discipline former Washington Commanders kicker Brandon McManus based on allegations of sexual assault made against him by two women in a civil suit , the league said Monday.

"There was insufficient evidence to support a finding that a violation of the personal conduct policy occurred," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement provided to The Washington Post. "As always, if new evidence is presented it would be taken into consideration."