With all odds against them, the Washington Commanders have managed to lead the NFC East Division with a rookie quarterback, an entirely new coaching staff, and a new repaired roster.
The team looks like it changed overnight, as last season they ended 4-13 and are now currently almost beating last year’s record at 4-2.
Although many question how long this streak may last, as the team faced the formidable Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 13, losing 23-30.
“The arrow’s pointed up, that’s the direction we want to go.” linebacker Frankie Luvu said in a postgame press conference after a Week 5 victory against the Cleveland Browns.
Offenses coordinator, Kliff Kingsberry, has been impactful with his air raid offensive technique. Using long passes across the field and outside the numbers, the technique is often critiqued in the football world but has been credited for aiding popular players such as Kyler Murry from the Arizona Cardinals and Jared Goff during his time with Los Angeles Rams, which are both previous locations where Kingsberry worked. For the Commanders this season, Kingsberry has helped elevate the entire offense, earning the rank of top offense in the league through five weeks.
Up until week 6, the Commanders were the only team to have scored over 150 points in 2024: 155 to be exact.
This flashy start can also be credited to the team’s newest quarterback, Jayden Daniels, as he makes his mark in the team as the first in Super Bowl era to score 150 points within the first five games of the season with a starting rookie quarterback.
“There are a lot of different factors that went into the turn around of the Commanders this year.” Commanders fan and junior Charissa Mattison said.
Daniels was drafted in the 2024 NFL Draft as second pick overall. Coming out of Louisiana State University (LSU), Daniels ended his college career with over 1,400 pass attempts and 953 completions. Daniels put his name on the map and was sought after by the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants.
“I wouldn’t count it as luck at all; we just finally got the right man throwing the ball,” Mattison said.
Overall, the Commanders have begun a surprising successful season and this rebrand of offense has proven to be a help all around the field.
“There’s always room for improvement, and us as a defense, we’re just getting started.” said Luvu according to AP News.
