The Los Angeles Chargers are coming up fast, and they will have the opportunity to improve to 4-1 and strengthen their hold on the AFC West when they take on the Washington Commanders this Sunday.
The Commanders, who impressed many around the NFL by reaching the NFC Championship Game last season, have been struggling a bit so far this year and are 2-2. While second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels hasn’t resembled his dazzling self from 2024, he still remains a huge threat, even though he missed their last two games with a knee injury.
He’s expected to return to game action on Sunday, and L.A. defensive coordinator Jesse Minter was effusive in his praise of last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
“Electric. This is a guy, similar to a few of the quarterbacks that have come out the last couple of years, where they’ve played five, six years of college football,” Minter said about Daniels, per Chargers.com. “I would say different than traditional rookies of years past, the guys that played a ton of college football.
“They come in and more ready to play then maybe a guy that goes three and out and is a one- or two-year starter,” Minter added. “He’s seen a lot, he’s played two different schools, was super productive at both places.”
Read more: Rams' Sean McVay Gets Brutally Honest About Final Play Call vs 49ers
Daniels was considered the second-best quarterback prospect in the 2024 draft behind Caleb Williams, who was taken No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bears. Washington selected Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2023, with the No. 2 pick, and he went on to take the football world by storm.
He completed 69% of his pass attempts and threw for 3,568 passing yards and 25 touchdowns while adding 891 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns last season. He also demonstrated that he has the clutch gene, as he led Washington to improbable last-second wins over the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles.
What made Washington’s success last season all the more impressive was the fact that, other than wide receiver Terry McLaurin, it had no Pro Bowlers at the skill positions. It traded running back Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers just prior to Week 1, but former 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel has helped Washington stay afloat in September.
On the other side, the Chargers are winning chiefly with defense, just as they did last year when they went 11-6 and made the playoffs in Jim Harbaugh’s first year as their head coach. Quarterback Justin Herbert, despite some hiccups in their Week 4 loss to the New York Giants, has mostly played excellent football, and third-year wide receiver Quentin Johnston is starting to live up to his potential.
Starting running back Najee Harris is out for the balance of the season after tearing his Achilles, but it has given rookie RB Omarion Hampton an opportunity. Last Sunday versus New York, Hampton ran for 128 yards and one touchdown on just 12 carries.
For more on the Commanders and Chargers, as well as general NFL news, head over to Newsweek Sports.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.