Two of the NFL’s most electrifying quarterbacks, Washington rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and two-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson of Baltimore, face each other for the first time on Sunday.
Daniels, off to a historic start, has the 4-1 Commanders scoring a league-high 155 points while the 3-2 Ravens, also division leaders, rank second under Jackson’s direction at 147.
“He has been one of the best in the league for five games,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of Daniels. “We’ve got our hands full with that.”
It’s a feature contest this week with the only unbeatens, defending champion Kansas City and Minnesota, both on bye weeks.
Jackson, the 2019 and 2023 MVP, has the Ravens atop the NFL with 447.6 yards a game and leading the way in rushing at 211.2 yards a game with Washington second on 178.4. Jackson has completed 65.3% of his passes for 1,206 yards and nine touchdowns and run 53 times for 363 yards and two touchdowns.
Daniels, like Jackson, is an impressive run and pass threat, but the newcomer resists the comparison.
“I don’t like when people try to compare me to Lamar and vice versa,” Daniels said. “We’re two different players. Just appreciate everybody for who they are.
“I’m not trying to be the next such and such. I’m just trying to be the best version of myself.”
Daniels has completed 101 of 131 passes for 1,135 yards and four touchdowns while running 57 times for 300 yards and four touchdowns, becoming the first NFL rookie with 1,000 pass yards and 250 rush yards after five games. His 82.1% completion rate through four games was an NFL record with 23 scoring drives and only 19 incompletions.
“He’s going off,” Jackson said of Daniels. “He’s his own man. We’re just trying to make a name for ourselves, not anyone else.”
Daniels, 23, describes his relationship with Jackson, 27, as “mutual respect” and admires much of what the Ravens star has done in his six NFL campaigns.
“I’m a big fan of his, how he plays the game, how he approaches the game. But we’re two different quarterbacks, two different styles,” Daniels said. “(I like) how he plays the position, whether that’s running, throwing or making plays. He’s a fierce competitor so I respect that about him.”
‘Just picking brains’
Daniels, selected second by Washington in this year’s NFL Draft, has been praised for his rapid development and poise under pressure as a passer, able to quickly find weak spots in defensive schemes for quick throws or scramble runs, where Jackson uses more designed runs.
“I know a lot of those guys in the league and we bounce ideas back and forth off each other,” Daniels said. “In the off-season I worked out with a couple of other NFL QB starters so I could go out and see where I was at, not really comparing but competing and see what they are good at and learn from them — How are you doing this? What was your offense like? Stuff like that. Just picking brains.”
Washington, off to its best start since 2008, will face the NFL’s top run defense in the Ravens, who have surrendered only 309 rushing yards while making 16 quarterback sacks.
“In this league you’ve got to be able to play from the pocket, be on time, because once you get off schedule, they’ve got very good defenders on the other side that can get you,” Daniels said.
“You’ve got to focus on what you do. Can’t get caught up in what they do. They could show you something completely different from what they have shown on film. Focus on yourself and try to get better as a unit.”
No rookie has won the NFL MVP award since Cleveland running back Jim Brown in 1957.
The only other NFL game this week between clubs with winning records finds Detroit (3-1) and Dallas (3-2).
