There was confusion as the play call came in from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury for the 3rd-and-7 that would end up deciding the game as the Washington Commanders clung to a five-point lead with just over two minutes to play in the fourth quarter in Cincinnati on Monday night.
Two plays earlier rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels found veteran tight end Zach Ertz over the middle to convert on fourth down, now he would have to do it again, but with the play clock winding down, Washington's offense was not organized and the Bengals were showing an all-out blitz.
The confusion was such that Troy Aikman on the ESPN broadcast mistakenly thought Washington only had 10 players. Ertz and slot receiver Luke McCaffrey at first lined up in nearly the same spot before the rookie WR motioned towar the right only for the QB to direct him back to the left and to quickly get set so the snap could just beat a delay of game penalty.
It would be man coverage for the Commanders' three receivers if the quarterback could get enough time to find one. Running back Jeremy McNichols picked up the inside blitzer on the right side – up-ending and depositing linebacker Germaine Pratt on his backside. But that left safety Geno Stone the free rusher on the outside.
Just under two seconds from getting the snap, Daniels flicked his wrist and launched a rainbow throw toward Terry McLaurin – lining up on a rare occasion on the right side of the Commanders' formation – before Stone laid a crunching (and legal) blow on the rookie.
"I line up on the left a lot, but earlier in the game I had – on the right side – a good route against the other corner," McLaurin said after the game to NFL Network. "And I went up to the sideline and said, 'Kliff, give me a go against this guy, he's gonna outside leverage. I want the go route for the game.'
"And he trusted me. And once I saw [the corner] off, I was like, I still want the go route. So I put a little double move on him, Jayden did a great job taking a hit and putting some air under the ball and I just went to run under it, track it and use late hands."
The All-22 of the play – a 27-yard touchdown pass that McLaurin was able to haul in with corner Dax Hill draped over him and get his feet in-bounds to seal the Commanders' 38-33 win – reveals just how confused Washington was before the snap (that confusion partly resulted in Erz and left tackle Brandon Coleman trying to block the same man at first), how good McNichols' block was, Daniels' ability to throw a perfect pass just before getting hit, how hard he was hit, and McLaurin's double move and catch.
First the overhead view and the high end zone view from behind the defense:
And now, the end zone view from behind the offense:
McLaurin had just eight receptions for 39 yards in the first two games. He had four for 100 and a touchdown on Monday night.
"It's been a while since we've been able to click, connect down the field," McLaurin said. "With the game on the line, my quarterback and my team trusted me and I just wanted to come through for 'em."
But this – like everything with football in the modern era – is all about the play of the quarterback.
First, he had the presence of mind to recognize that while Ertz and McCaffrey were lined up wrong, they had to just stick there (so the snap could be the play clock) and get set (to avoid an illegal shift penalty). And that with the all-out blitz coming he would only have two seconds to throw a ball with the right arc so that it would reach the mid-point of the end zone at the same time as McLaurin – despite the receiver being at the 19-yard line when he released the football.
He did all of that. All of that so his 23rd pass attempt in his third NFL game was the best of his career so far.
The thing about NFL quarterbacks is they all (for the most part) have the ability to make all the throws you need to make. In ideal situations, everybody can place the ball where they want it to go. But when the game is on the line, when there is pressure in your face when the play clock is winding down and there is confusion about where people are supposed to go, how many can actually still make all the throws?
Ability, arm talent, all that stuff matters, but takes a back seat. Poise is all that counts.
And that is the biggest takeaway from the All-22: Jayden Daniels had the poise.
The courage under fire to stand and deliver under pressure. On this play – in a night with just two incompletions and three touchdowns (two passing and one rushing), it appears there really might be something special about Washington's rookie quarterback.