Daniels completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while adding 12 rushes for 39 yards and another score in the Commanders' 38-33 win over the Bengals on Monday night.

EDGE Analysis

Eight days after securing his first NFL win in the form of a 21-18 victory over the Giants, Daniels faced and passed a much tougher test in a road primetime clash against a fully healthy Bengals offense. Facing off with fellow LSU alum Joe Burrow, Daniels went toe to toe with the 2020 first overall pick and emerged the victor courtesy of his four-yard scoring run and one and 27-yard touchdown tosses to Trent Scott and Terry McLaurin, respectively -- the first two TD passes of his career. Daniels impressively helped keep the heat on the desperate Bengals in the second half after Washington had established a surprising 21-13 halftime lead, and he helmed a critical 12-play, 70-yard drive in the fourth quarter in which he completed seven passes, including the 27-yard scoring strike to McLaurin. Three games into his pro career, Daniels already looks like he has firm command of coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's quarterback-friendly offense, and he'll head into a Week 4 road showdown with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals having upped his passing yardage in every game thus far.

Daniels completed 23 of 29 passes for 226 yards in Sunday's 21-18 win over the Giants. He added 44 rushing yards on 10 carries.

EDGE Analysis

The rookie quarterback led the Commanders on seven scoring drives, but all seven resulted in field goals rather than finishing in the end zone. Daniels did a good job of taking care of the ball though, despite fierce pressure from the Giants defense that resulted in five sacks. The second overall pick in the 2024 Draft has been brought down seven times through his first two games, and the inability of the Washington offensive line to protect Daniels could encourage coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to continue having him throw quick. high-percentage passes. Daniels will likely need to use his legs again in Week 3 against the Bengals.

Daniels completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards while rushing 16 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday's 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers.

EDGE Analysis

Daniels scored one-yard rushing touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters, in addition to coming just 12 yards shy of ending Washington's 22-game drought without a 100-yard rusher. The rookie second overall pick was ineffective as a passer, though, with most of his production coming after the game was well out of reach. He also put the ball on the ground three times, but all three fumbles were recovered by the Commanders. Daniels has a nice opportunity to take a step forward throwing the ball in Week 2, when he makes his home debut against a Giants team that's coming off a 28-6 loss to the Vikings.

Daniels will not play in the Commanders' preseason finale against the Patriots on Sunday night, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Daniels will rest along with a number of the Commanders' other locked-in starters. The No. 2 overall pick in April's draft, Daniels wraps up his preseason having completed 12 of 15 passes for 123 scoreless yards and a 3-16-1 rushing line. The next time we see Daniels will be Week 1 in Tampa Bay. He's shaping up as a fringe QB1/2 in fantasy drafts.

Coach Dan Quinn announced Monday that Daniels will open the regular season as Washington's starting quarterback, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

Daniels has effectively operated as the Commanders' starting QB throughout training camp, with Marcus Mariota (groin) working as his backup, so to see the rookie No. 2 overall pick officially slated to open Week 1 under center doesn't come as a surprise. In two preseason appearances so far, Daniels has been impressive, especially during Saturday night's loss to the Dolphins. Daniels played the Commanders' first two drives versus Miami and completed 10 of 12 passes for 78 yards, while rushing twice for 13 yards. Even if Daniels takes some time to fully adapt to the competition level of the NFL, his rushing capabilities will immediately thrust him onto the fantasy radar as a starter Week 1 versus the Buccaneers.

Daniels completed 10 of 12 passes for 78 yards and rushed twice for 13 yards in the Commanders' 13-6 preseason loss to the Dolphins on Saturday night.

EDGE Analysis

The rookie signal-caller followed up an encouraging but brief appearance in the Commanders' preseason opener against the Jets with an even better performance Saturday night. Daniels played on Washington's first two series and remained busy throughout, having a hand in eight consecutive plays on the opening possession after Brian Robinson logged the first touch from scrimmage. Daniels led the team into field-goal territory on both drives, although placekicker Riley Patterson was able to make good on only one of those opportunities. Nevertheless, it was yet another feather in the summertime cap of the second overall pick, who appears ready to handle the challenge of the NFL regular season with one preseason contest still remaining.

Daniels and other starters are expected to play one or two drives in Saturday's preseason game at Miami, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

Daniels played one series in the preseason opener last Saturday against the Jets, completing two of three passes for 45 yards and rushing for a three-yard TD. It sounds like he and the other starters won't play much more than that this Saturday.

Daniels completed two of three passes for 45 yards and rushed once for a three-yard touchdown in Saturday's 20-17 preseason loss to the Jets.

EDGE Analysis

Daniels' first NFL game action got off to an ideal start, as he connected with Dyami Brown for a 42-yard gain on his second pass and ultimately capped the opening drive with a three-yard touchdown run. That was the only drive Daniels played, but the rookie second overall pick still managed to put his dual-threat skill set on display during his short time in the game. Marcus Mariota played the next drive, which went three-and-out. Daniels is on track to open the regular season as the starter over Mariota, and the rookie could get a more extensive dress rehearsal in next Saturday's preseason game against the Dolphins.

Daniels is listed atop the initial preseason depth chart at quarterback and will start Saturday's preseason game against the Jets, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Daniels is one of three Washington rookies listed as a starter, with the others being left tackle Brandon Coleman. taken with the 67th overall pick, and slot corner Mike Sainristil, drafted 50th overall. In Daniels' case, there's never really been any doubt he would start, as he's taken more first-team reps than Marcus Mariota during training camp. The second overall pick won't have the best receiving talent around him in Year 1 aside from Terry McLaurin, although a rebound season from Austin Ekeler would help. Daniels' running ability still hints at fantasy value even if the Commanders' passing game ends up being subpar under coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Daniels is expected to play in Saturday's preseason opener on the road against the Jets, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Daniels has been the Commanders' first quarterback during the full-team sessions during training camp and appears likely to be the starter against New York. The second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is battling with Marcus Mariota for the starting job in Washington this season, but Daniels seems to have the edge heading into the preseason.