The Commanders and quarterback Jayden Daniels were flying high through their first nine games, but things have taken a turn for the worse in their last three outings.
After a 7-2 start, the Commanders are 7-5 and they are scoring just over 23 points per game over the last three after averaging just over 31 points in their first nine. Daniels has seen his completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdowns and passer rating drop while throwing three interceptions in the last three weeks. Daniels had two during the strong start and he was asked at a Wednesday press conference if he feels like he’s hit the so-called rookie wall.
“I mean, I don’t know,” Daniels said, via a transcript from the team. “Obviously, it’s longer, so it’s different. It’s just stuff getting used to, like usually right now in college, the season’s about the end. Our season, it’s just starting, somewhere like the second half of the season. So, I mean, that’s different, but I don’t really know the definition of a rookie wall. I just know that NFL season is longer [than] college.”
The rookie wall isn’t the only possible explanation for the downturn. The Commanders’ decline fits the history of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s teams in Arizona starting fast and limping to the finish line.
Whatever the reason, the Commanders need to find a way to turn things back around sooner rather than later.
