jayden Daniels: I just know I’m prepared for these moments

Monday night was Jayden Daniels’s coming out party.

The Commanders rookie quarterback went 21-of-23 for 254 yards and two touchdowns while also running for a touchdown in a 38-33 road win over the Bengals, but the biggest sign of his arrival came on a fourth down in the fourth quarter. That’s when the Commanders trusted Daniels to deliver a pass to tight end Zach Ertz to keep a drive alive and Daniels delivered with a conversion that kept the drive alive and set up a touchdown throw to Terry McLaurin that became the icing on the cake in an upset win.

After the game, Daniels was asked if he was surprised about how quickly he’s succeeded in the NFL.

“Yes and no,” Daniels said in his postgame press conference. “Yes, because obviously it’s something new to me as I continue this journey in my rookie year. But also, I put in the work, and what’s done in the dark will always come to light. I just know I’m prepared for these moments week in and week out. Just got to go out there and play football and execute.”

The Commanders have been a lost franchise for years, but Daniels has only needed three games to give them real reason to hope better days are coming soon. Monday night gives them reason to think that those days are coming before the calendar flips to a new year.