NFL Week 3 Monday Review: Rookie QB Makes History in Washington’s Upset Win Over Bengals, Bills Dominate Jaguars

CNN
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After a thrilling Sunday of NFL action, Week 3 continued with two more games for fans to dive into.

Some teams were looking for their first win, another was looking to continue its perfect start to the season and another was looking for promising signs from its rookie quarterback.

Here are Monday’s top stories.

Sometimes a rookie has a moment where he says, “Welcome to the NFL.”

And that was the case for Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels on Monday night, as he shined in Washington’s stunning 38-33 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Daniels, the second overall pick in this year’s draft, completed just two of 23 passes, throwing for 254 yards and two touchdowns and running for another in a near-perfect performance in his prime-time debut.

The 23-year-old’s combination of arm accuracy and leg elusiveness proved a thorn in the side of the Bengals defense all night at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.

Daniels also made history with his performance: His 91.3 percent completion percentage is the highest ever recorded in a game by a rookie, according to the NFL. He also became the first player since at least 1950 to throw for 250 yards and multiple touchdowns, run for a touchdown and complete more than 90 percent of his passes, according to the NFL.

Additionally, Daniels became the third rookie quarterback since 2000 — joining Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert — to throw both a passing and rushing touchdown in the same prime-time game.

“I just said I’m a competitor,” Daniels said when asked what he’s shown in the NFL. “I want to compete at the highest level. Obviously, it’s a blessing to be able to play every Sunday and do things that a lot of people in the world can’t do. It’s a blessing to be a part of one of the 32 teams and play every Sunday, every Monday or whenever we play.”

Daniels’ second touchdown pass of the night with 2:10 left in the game effectively sealed the victory, connecting with Terry McLaurin on a 27-yard pass to give Washington a 12-point lead.

The Bengals scored on a one-yard run by Zach Moss with 40 seconds left to cut the deficit to five, but it wasn’t enough as the Commanders earned their second win of the season.

Afterward, first-time Washington head coach Dan Quinn was full of praise for his rookie broadcaster.

“He’s a really cool guy and he’s really poised,” Quinn told reporters. “Coming in, we knew how important the ball was and the decision-making was for that. We just couldn’t give them short fields and chances to make plays.”

“So his ability to know when to, when not to, when to make a play with his legs, we’ve seen that a lot in practice, and now it’s carried over into games where the decision-making, the sliding, the moving, the shooting, I thought it was a really good performance by him tonight.”

While the victory gives Washington’s season a boost, the defeat worsens the Bengals’ dismal start to the campaign.

Cincinnati has not won in three weeks and Monday’s loss was its second home defeat against a surprising opponent after losing to the New England Patriots in Week 1.

While quarterback Joe Burrow and the rest of the offense appeared to pose a serious threat, the Bengals defense was unable to stop Washington’s attack, with Daniels able to continue scoring at will. The success of both offenses was such that the game was the first NFL game since 1940 to not feature a turnover or punt, according to Bleacher Report.

A Super Bowl was expected before the season began, but that seems unlikely after an 0-3 start.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen put on a spectacular performance to lead Buffalo to a dominant 47-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday.

Allen exploded in the first half at Highmark Stadium, completing 22 of 28 throws for 247 yards and four touchdowns as the Bills took a 34-3 lead into the break.

The second half was much slower, with the result already a foregone conclusion as Buffalo extended its lead to 3-0 to start the season.

Aside from the offensive explosion in the first half, the first 30 minutes featured a special moment when Damar Hamlin, playing in his first Monday night game since suffering a cardiac arrest last year, recorded his first career interception.

The Bills safety collapsed during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January after making a tackle and taking a blow to the head and chest. Medical professionals performed CPR when he lost his pulse and had to be revived with CPR and defibrillation. He was on a ventilator for several days and spent more than a week in a Cincinnati hospital.

Hamlin’s cardiac arrest was later determined to have been caused by commotio cordis, which can occur when severe trauma to the chest disrupts the heart’s electrical charge and causes dangerous fibrillations (or abnormal heartbeats).

On Monday night, Hamlin intercepted Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence midway through the second quarter, returning the ball 19 yards to the Jacksonville 41-yard line before celebrating in front of the crowd with his teammates.

“It’s special, man,” Hamlin told ESPN of his teammates’ reaction. “They were a big part of me being able to make that kind of comeback. They pushed me. They gave me love, they gave me grace, they gave me everything I needed along the way, and they were even happier than I was to get my first interception.”

“It just shows the community and the bond that we have here in Buffalo. It’s really a special place and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

As for the Jaguars, Monday’s loss means the team begins the season winless after three weeks with very few positives.

Lawrence struggled to match Allen’s offensive explosion, throwing for just 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was benched late in the game for Mac Jones to protect him from injury.

Afterward, Jags head coach Doug Pederson was frank in his assessment of his team’s performance over the three weeks.

“It’s really shocking. I’m very disappointed. It’s hard to say it, but the reality is that’s who we are right now,” Pederson told reporters. “We’re not a very good football team and we have to fix this. We have to find solutions and we have to do it quickly.”

Away or home (winners in bold)

Jacksonville Jaguars 10-47 Buffalo Bills

Washington Commanders 38-33 Cincinnati Bengals