Four reasons why the Washington Commanders' offensive is hot

ASHBURN, Va. – It didn't take long for receiver Noah Brown to sense something was different with the Washington Commanders, especially on offense. In fact, it took about three weeks.

“Maybe the rest of the league doesn’t fully know it,” he said, “but that’s all it took to realize that something special is happening here.”

Washington (3-1) was a surprise early in the season heading into Sunday's game against the 1-3 Cleveland Browns (1 p.m. ET, Fox), thanks in large part to its offense.

The franchise hasn't ranked in the top 10 in offense in yards or points since 2016 – and hasn't been in both top 10s since 2012. But after four games, the Commanders rank second in points and points sixth in yards. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels helped a lot, of course, but so did other factors: the scheme, the line and their versatility. That's why they are optimistic that the success will continue.

After a 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals, receiver Terry McLaurin said the best was yet to come.

“The exciting thing is that we still left out a little bit on the field that we're going to get better at,” he said.

Here are four reasons why the commanders' offensive started so strongly:

Jayden Daniels

A pass against the Cincinnati Bengals showed a lot of what Daniels has to offer. In Monday night's 38-33 Week 3 victory, the Commanders faced a third-and-7 at the 27-yard line and defended a five-point lead with 2:10 to play. The game got off to a slow start from the sidelines. There were initially only 10 men on the field for Washington. And Daniels was already expecting an all-out blitz.

Daniels calmly took the play, told the late-arriving 11th man – receiver Luke McCaffrey – where to line up, and then delivered a perfect touchdown pass to the closely guarded McLaurin in the end zone. Next Gen Stats had a 10.3% chance of finishing this game.

“This kid has poise, man,” McLaurin said. “He grew up on this deep pass.”

“His composure,” guard Nick Allegretti said, “is what makes the offense.”

The game showcased his accuracy, toughness and maturity — elements that his teammates and coaches have honed in on since his arrival in the spring. Daniels is always one of the first, if not the first, players to arrive at his training facility each day. He does a 6 a.m. walkthrough with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and then does additional work on his virtual reality headset, which recreates game-speed situations.

The result: Daniels ranks fourth in overall QBR (73.3) and first in completion percentage (82.1%). He threw for 897 yards, three touchdowns and one interception and ran for another 215 yards and four scores.

Kingsbury said he applied some concepts that Daniels used at LSU to help him get into the NFL.

“You have to try to get him as comfortable as possible early on so he can play at a high level,” Kingsbury said, “but he learned quickly. We've put a lot on him and he continues to cope and play at a high level and that's because of his preparation.”

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Kingsbury

Before the season, tight end Zach Ertz said he wanted to finish his career playing for Kingsbury. That's why he was happy to be reunited in Washington after spending parts of two seasons with him in Arizona, where Kingsbury was head coach.

“The best thing about Kliff’s offense is that he makes it really easy for the quarterback,” Ertz said. “He will be very flexible.”

It's not just about scheming the players, although that's happened in every game.

Washington also leads the NFL in no-huddle games with 119 – the next closest team, Chicago, has 65. The Commanders gained 285 yards in 37 no-huddle games against Arizona. They use different looks and attack all parts of the field.

Players say the success comes from preparation. You have at least three viewings every day.

“That’s as many walk-throughs as I’ve ever done,” running back Austin Ekeler said. “We have so many mental reps. People arrive at different spots and move very quickly, so as an attack we can give you such different looks on the fly and make sure it's sharp.”

Kingsbury said he started doing more walk-throughs during his time coaching at Texas Tech.

“The guys would lose interest,” he said of meetings. “But when you get them out on the field and talk them through it and go through it, it tends to stick a little bit better.”

The offensive line

According to multiple team sources, Washington had a better feeling internally about its offensive line than many outside the building. The Commanders allowed a league-high 65 sacks last season, a byproduct of an offensive coordinator in Eric Bieniemy who emphasized the pass; a quarterback in Sam Howell who held the ball longer than the coaches wanted; and in some cases talent.

This offseason, the team added veteran center Tyler Biadasz, left guard Nick Allegretti and left tackle Brandon Coleman in the third round; Coleman took turns on site with Cornelius Lucas.

Entering Week 5, the Commanders are 12th with nine sacks allowed – five of which came in Week 2. They are sixth in yards per carry (5.1). Additionally, Washington ranked last in the NFL in number of carries in 2023; The Commanders are tied for fourth place in this category through four games.

Success relies on Daniels' ability to get rid of the ball quickly. Washington ranks fourth in time before passing (2.52 seconds). His ability to extend plays also helps. The Commanders are in third place with a sack (5.38 seconds).

The tight ends, backs and sometimes receivers help by chipping away at the ends. The receivers help by blocking on running plays as well. But it still starts with the line.

“We know they weren’t particularly excited at the beginning of the season,” Kingsbury said. “But they’re really proud of their approach as a unit, their physicality, their finishing and their toughness, and their communication is great.”

Kingsbury said they will have plays in a game that they might only be able to get through in practice.

“In that respect, it's as good as I've ever seen in terms of getting things under control and problem-solving on the field and in the game,” he said.

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versatility

Washington can hurt teams with its running game – the Commanders rushed for over 200 yards in wins over the New York Giants and Cardinals.

Running back Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 101 yards against the Cardinals. He has rushed 66 times for 307 yards in four games and has carried the ball 16 times or more in each of the last three games. He only scored 16 or more goals in a game in all of 2023, four times.

But Daniels' legs also help the Commanders: He managed 22 times for 163 yards. You can run power plays with Robinson and pull linemen; They can run zone plays and quarterback runs – whether it's a zone read or simply a sweep.

“It’s run and play-pass, it’s a combination,” Quinn said, explaining why the offense works so well. “And then the combination of Jayden outside the pocket and his legs providing some first downs. That makes it difficult.”

McLaurin leads the team with 19 catches for 191 yards – 152 of which came in the last two games.

They also have players like Olamide Zaccheaus, who played five snaps and wasn't targeted in Monday night's game but caught six passes for 85 yards at Arizona. He is second among receivers with 10 catches this season. Veterans Ertz (15 catches, 150 yards) and Ekeler (nine catches, 121 yards) also helped.

Brown, who was signed on August 28, has caught a total of nine passes for 111 yards in the last three games.

“That’s the cool thing about an offense like this,” Zaccheaus said, “everyone can get involved.”