Having Jayden Daniels back changes everything for the Washington Commanders

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Jayden Daniels plopped his helmet on the sideline and turned to see general manager Adam Peters in a blazer. They slapped palms and hugged, both with big smiles. Yes, Daniels was back in action for the Washington Commanders — and back in a big way.

The exchange between the star QB and the guy who selected him second in last year's NFL draft came after Daniels connected with Deebo Samuel on a fourth-down touchdown pass with a little more than a minute left Sunday, capping a 99-yard drive and a 27-10 victory at the Los Angeles Chargers and their seemingly elite defense.

The win was Washington's first on the road this season, put the club back above .500 at 3-2 and made clear, yet again, that a healthy Daniels changes everything for coach Dan Quinn's club.

“He just has an X factor about him on the third and fourth downs,” Quinn said. “He can go create and make some plays.”

Daniels went 15 of 26 for 231 yards and the scoring toss to Samuel. The reigning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year also ran eight times for 39 yards, including a designed run on the game's second play, perhaps to show everyone — including Daniels himself — that the injured left knee that held him out for the previous two games, and was protected Sunday by a bulky brace, was just fine.

Asked afterward how he felt in his first action in 3 1/2 weeks, Daniels replied: “I mean, y’all tell me how the knee looked.”

Daniels and the Commanders face Caleb Williams and the visiting Chicago Bears next.

The running game — specifically rookie back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt. Croskey-Merritt had a breakout performance, gaining 111 yards on 14 carries — a 7.9-yard average — and scoring twice. The one negative: He lost a fumble. “I showed,” Croskey-Merritt said, “I can just make plays when my name is called.” He got a chance to shine as the featured back after Washington rotated runners ever since Austin Ekeler was lost for the season. The Commanders lead the NFL with 156.4 yards rushing per game; the Bears' defense allows 164.5 yards per game on the ground, 31st of 32 clubs.

Starts on the road. For the third time in three away games, Washington fell behind. On Sunday, it trailed 10-0 in the first quarter — just like it did last week at Atlanta in a loss. And in Week 2, the Commanders fell behind 14-0 at Green Bay in a loss. At least this time, Quinn's team recovered, scoring the game's last 27 points.

The defense. The Commanders turned in their most complete defensive performance of 2025 against Justin Herbert, sacking him five times, limiting him to 166 yards passing and shutting out the Chargers over the last three quarters. Sure, it helped that LA's offensive line was depleted. The entire complexion of the game switched when Washington's Quan Martin stripped Quentin Johnson in the second quarter, and Marshon Lattimore recovered the fumble. The hosts led 10-0 then; Washington turned the turnover into a TD and was on its way. “It gave us a breath of fresh air,” cornerback Mike Sainristil said. “From that point forward, we were where we needed to be all the time.”

Chris Moore. The 10th-year receiver had one pass sent his way Sunday ... and it went right through his hands in the end zone. Moore was targeted three times in Washington's previous game — and had zero catches that day, too.

Washington came out of a game this season without any significant new injuries, for a change, although WR Terry McLaurin sat out for the second consecutive week with a bad quadriceps muscle. Another starting receiver, Noah Brown, missed his third consecutive game with groin and knee issues.

3 — Turnovers forced by Washington's defense the past two games after collecting zero in the season's first three games. Sainristil has two of the three, with an interception of Herbert at the goal line in the fourth quarter on Sunday following his pick of Michael Penix Jr. a week earlier in Atlanta.

Hosting first-year head coach Ben Johnson and the Bears (2-2), who are coming off their bye following two wins in a row, next week means revisiting one of the signature plays of Daniels' rookie season: The 52-yard Hail Mary TD throw to Brown to end Washington's 18-15 victory on Oct. 27, 2024.

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