Jayden Daniels had his coming out party on Monday Night Football, showing why the Commanders used the No. 2 overall pick on him.
Daniels outplayed the quarterback he was compared to last season at LSU, with Daniels following Joe Burrow as a Heisman Trophy winner in Baton Rouge.
Daniels threw for 254 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another to lead the Commanders to a convincing 38-33 win over the Bengals.
The Commanders are 2-1, while the Bengals dropped to 0-3. The 2018 Texans are the only 0-3 team to make the postseason since 2000.
The Commanders scored on all six possessions, not counting on a one-play kneel down to end the half and a one-play kneel down to end the game. They put it away with a 12-play, 70-yard drive that ate up 7:32 in the fourth quarter, overcoming two penalties, a sack and a fourth down.
Terry McLaurin caught a 27-yard touchdown pass from Daniels with 2:10 left, giving the Commanders a 38-26 lead. McLaurin finished with four catches for 100 yards.
The Bengals scored a touchdown on a Zack Moss run with 40 seconds left, but the Commanders recovered the onside kick.
Daniels had an almost perfect night, completing 21 of 23 passes and running for 40 yards on 11 carries. His first career touchdown went to offensive lineman Trent Scott for a 1-yard score.
The Bengals outgained the Commanders 436 to 356, with neither team punting, but Cincinnati saw drives end at the Washington 30, 9 and 13. Evan McPherson missed a 48-yard field goal and made kicks of 28 and 31.
Burrow went 29-of-38 for 324 yards and three touchdowns, with Ja’Marr Chase catching six for 118 yards and two touchdowns. Chase Brown rushed for 62 yards on seven carries, and Moss had 12 for 58 and a touchdown.
It was the first game since 1940 with no turnovers and no punts, according to the ESPN broadcast.
