SNIDER: Commanders turn 5-year plan into five games

Jayden Daniels was sputtering early. The Washington Commanders passer was looking mortal. A bad goal-line pick. Several missed opportunities. It looked like a grinding game.

And then Daniels found a seam and rambled 34 yards on fourth down near the end of the first half. Washington soon converted for a 17-3 lead.

The game was over for the hapless Cleveland Browns, but Daniels then showed why he’s an early runaway leader for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Daniels followed with a perfectly thrown 41-yard touchdown in the right corner to Dyami Brown for a 24-3 halftime lead. In the third quarter, Daniels followed a 23-yard pass to Terry McLaurin with his own 23-yard run as Washington soon led 31-6.

On a day when he wasn’t perfect, Daniels was 14 of 25 for 238 yards, one touchdown, one interception and an 85.1 rating in the 34-13 win. Most NFL passers would take that on a weekly basis and it was a down week for Daniels.

Ah, what a time for Washington fans. A 4-1 start in the best since 2008 and the Commanders are getting better with each week. Washington is the first team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to average 30 points per game through the first five weeks with a rookie quarterback.

And Daniels says he’s a rookie quarterback Indeed, he looked like it for the first quarter. That’s the scary part. He shook off a slow quarter and followed a pick with a touchdown drive.

So now Washington is a proven 4-1 before traveling to Baltimore on Sunday. But, beat the Ravens and suddenly the Commanders are anointed royalty.

After the season’s opening third, a few things are clearly obvious:

·      Daniels is the passer they’d been waiting for since Robert Griffin’s 2012 injury. He’s probably their best passer since Joe Theismann nearly 40 years ago. And, one day we may be talking better than Sonny Jurgensen.

·      The running game has three backs that break plays. Austin Ekeler is still 100 percent baller. Brian Robinson gets the hard yards and Stephen McNichols’ three touchdowns in two games is one more than his previous seven seasons.

·      The offense line is good. Maybe very good.

·      The defense is getting better. Linebackers are solid and now the secondary of young prospects is playing well.

·      After scary kicker problems, Austin Seibert is 12-for-12 since arriving in week 2.

Fans have been reserved during the fast start, wary of another heart-break season. Yet, the team is 4-1 with a clear path to a wild card.

It’s easy to say the Commanders haven’t beaten much in their streak. But after being on the wrong end of many get-well games for opponents, it’s fun to be on the winning side. The stadium was filled with nearly 90 percent Commanders fans after a decade of being the minority. The crowd even did the wave after so many years adrift.

That Daniels doesn’t need to be perfect shows there’s rising respect for the Commanders. The chemistry of a 60-percent roster flip has quickly gelled under a new coaching staff that is still learning each other, too. Coach Dan Quinn opens practices with a foot drill worthy of Parris Island intensity and it has quickly created a unit.

So much for five-year plan by former coaches. This one is looking good after five games.