[Baltimore Sun] Mike Preston: Lamar Jackson and Jayden Daniels are built to win. Don’t mess it up. | COMMENTARY
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The best comparison between the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is that both are playmakers.
Forget all this other nonsense about differences in styles and deliveries. Both make plays. With Jackson, he is an athletic phenom with good to average arm strength and the ability to improvise and extend plays with his legs.
Daniels is the total package.
Regardless, a team can win with either as long as the offense and scheme are centered around the ability of each quarterback. The Ravens defeated the Commanders, 30-23, before a crowd of 71,316 at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, and the game went as expected. The Commanders didn’t have a sophisticated offense and their defense was horrendous, especially allowing the Ravens to finish 6-for-10 on third down.
But it’s understandable why Commanders fans are so jazzed about Daniels, the rookie from LSU. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns while finishing with a passer rating of 110.3. After being in the NFL basement for decades, there is hope in Washington.
The Ravens and their fan base have similar aspirations for Jackson, but they are further along in the journey because this is Jackson’s seventh year. The team suffered a disappointing loss to Kansas City, 17-10, in the AFC championship game here in Baltimore in January, so there is more of a sense of urgency.
Regardless, the opportunity is at hand for both franchises.
“I believe [Jayden Daniels] deserves all the hype he’s getting,” Jackson said. “He played a tremendous game out there. They just came up short. He’s been proving it. His rookie season — first six games he’s been playing amazing.”
So far, so has Jackson. On Sunday, he completed 20 of 26 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown. Unlike earlier games in his career and this season, Jackson didn’t have to run around, stall for time and then make plays with his running ability. The Ravens have provided him ample weapons with slot receiver Zay Flowers, tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely and fellow receiver Rashod Bateman.
Then the Ravens added Derrick Henry, the 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back, who might be the best fourth-quarter closer in the game. It’s not an elite cast, but one of the better skill-position groups in the NFL.
Combined with Jackson’s running ability, the Ravens should advance deep into the postseason.
Daniels is a year or two away from that situation. The Washington offense is pretty vanilla at this point, even with halfback Brian Robinson Jr., who missed Sunday’s game because of a knee injury. The Commanders have only one big-time weapon on offense in receiver Terry McLaurin, but Daniels has a big-time arm.
It’s stronger than Jackson’s.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels might have a different style than Lamar Jackson, but they both make game-changing plays with their legs and arm. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)
There is no need to talk about release points and throwing angles. The kid can throw. Daniels was on target when throwing out patterns requiring precise throws. There were times when he delivered passes just outside the outstretched fingers of linebackers Roquan Smith or Trenton Simpson.
The 6-yard touchdown pass he threw with 12:12 left in the game and cornerback Brandon Stephens draped all over McLaurin was exceptional. It was like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Fabulous.
“Washington is in good hands with [Jayden Daniels],” Smith said. “I think the guy is … He’s the truth, for sure. He can run it, he can throw it — whatever you want — and for him to come into a hostile environment and perform the way he did, I’ve got much respect for him. He took some licks, too, so the guy … I heard he was tough as nails, anyway, and even from watching him in college at a couple games, but he showed that. So much respect and love for that guy, and yes, Washington is in good hands.”
There has been improvement in Jackson’s game this season, which will make the postseason interesting. In years past, teams would stack the line of scrimmage and dare Jackson to beat them with his arm. Cincinnati did it a week ago, and Jackson threw for 346 yards and four touchdowns in a 41-38 overtime win.
The Commanders tried the same scheme again Sunday, and Jackson was equally as successful. That’s a major development for the Ravens heading into the postseason. Neither Washington nor Cincinnati have great defenses. In fact, the Commanders were ranked No. 23 in third-down defense before Sunday’s game at 43.6% and No. 29 in red-zone defense at 68.8%.
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It’s not about quality right now, but improvement.
“We didn’t know if they were going to play a lot of man [coverage] or not, but they did, and I understand why they did,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “With all the quarterback and the run game stuff, they felt like they had to. They know how to stop that stuff; they run those plays, and for Lamar to put those passes where he did, and for the guys to make those plays, was the difference in the game.”
That’s what the NFL has become. It’s about having a playmaker at quarterback and having some semblance of balance. Quarterbacks come in all different shapes and sizes. Some can sling it like Brett Favre, and others can run it like Michael Vick. Daniels can do both. With Jackson, it’s his legs, and both Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Todd Monken need to remind him of that in the postseason. He has to play his game, play to his strength.
That’s vital for both the Ravens and Commanders as they get into the postseason.
Have a news tip? Contact Mike Preston at epreston@baltsun.com, 410-332-6467 and x.com/MikePrestonSun.
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