The Washington Commanders’ 2024 season hit legendary status Sunday, beating the Cleveland Browns 34-13. At 4-1, they are making believers. Entering Week 5 winning three straight, the team wasn’t thinking about stats or records. They were focused on winning at home against a 1-3 Browns team. The Browns were hoping their defense would slow down Quarterback Jayden Daniels. This would prove not easy, especially facing a team averaging 30. 25 points a game, third-best in the NFL.
Commanders Offense Dominates
Washington Commanders Quarterback Jayden Daniels became the first quarterback in NFL history to have 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards in their first five career games. It’s unreal. The Washington Commanders are also the first team since 1970 to score 150 or more points in their first five games while starting a rookie QB.
Daniels finished Sunday 14/25 for 238 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also ran 82 yards on 11 attempts. Running Back Austin Ekeler, out with a concussion for a few weeks, carried six for 67 yards. Wide Receiver Terry McLaurin caught 4 for 112 yards. Dynami Brown caught two for 57 yards, one for a touchdown.
The Browns’ defense tried to contain the dominating Commanders’ offense intercepting Daniels late in the first quarter. Daniels had a pass intercepted meant for Tight End Zach Ertz with 7:38 left in the quarter at Cleveland’s five-yard line. This came after a 65-yard pass to McLaurin. However, the Browns couldn’t convert the turnover into points.
Washington Commanders: Jayden Daniels Recovers Quick
Just as fast as he turned it over, Daniels went six plays and 34 yards on their next possession to set up a five-yard touchdown by Running Back Brian Robinson Jr. The interception was the one mistake Daniels made in the first half and the Browns’ offense could not capitalize. To their credit, the Browns figured out more pressure on Daniels would result in him making quicker decisions.
These decisions didn’t turn into turnovers, with Daniels doing more damage scrambling than passing. The game was going so well for the Washington Commanders by the fourth quarter, Daniels was pulled with 12:50 left in the game to allow Marcus Mariota to get some snaps. He kept it on the ground most of his time, only throwing once for -2 yards.
Commanders Defense Rule Third Down and More
The Washington Commanders defense kept the Browns’ offense to only three first downs in the first half. Overall, the Browns were also 1-13 on third-down conversions, 2-3 on fourth down. They earned only 212 total yards in the game, a far cry from the Washington Commanders’ 434 total yards. Lots of that domination came from the impeccable pass rush, led by the Commanders’ defense getting seven sacks for a loss of 33 yards. This was led by Linebacker Frankie Luvu, who led the defense with seven tackles. Fellow Linebacker Bobby Wagner had six total tackles, with Defensive Tackle Jonathan Allen rounding out the top three with four.
Week 5 Win: Final Thoughts
The Washington Commanders have crossed their turning point on top. Facing the Baltimore Ravens for Week 6 will be a good test for the Washington Commanders defense to see if they can keep this pressure on offenses moving forward. This was a good win. It was another convincing win. They’ve proved they’re for real. Even Stephen A. Smith had to acknowledge them.
On X, he posted, “I can admit this kid Daniels for the @Commanders is special. But is it their pressure that has @deshaunwatson looking so bad or is it really HIM? Either way, I just expected so much more from the @Browns this season. And it’s clear I’m not gonna get that.” Looks like Week 6 will tell if it was Watson or if it was truly the Commanders’ defense. Watson was 15 of 28 for 125 yards.
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