Commanders' QB 'strikes a lot of fear' in opposing coaches
While some are worried about Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels being in the early stages of a sophomore slump after missing two of the team’s first five games, others around the NFL are more concerned about being part of his next highlight reel.
Daniels himself admitted he had to break off some rust after returning to play for the Commanders in a Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but if a 100 passer rating, 270 yards of offense, and one touchdown pass is rusty, then imagine what might happen when he’s comfortable again.
That is what the Chicago Bears are trying to stop from happening on Monday night, as they focus hard on how their defense is going to plan to contain the Washington quarterback, who is much different from the version they saw in 2024.
Defending the 'Triple Option' 2.0
"The engine to this thing is the quarterback and the ability of the quarterback to run the football, and that makes you play 11-on-11 football,” Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said in the week leading into the primetime matchup.
"It's like back in the old days of defending the triple option, everybody's going to have a dive, quarterback, pitch responsibilities, and everybody's got to do their job on each and every one of those plays.”
Chicago head coach Ben Johnson tried to take a look at the full Commanders offense, praising offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and run game coordinator Anthony Lynn for creating the league’s top rushing attack through five weeks.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The 'Clear Focal Point of Stress'
"There's something new every week, schematically. They put a lot of stress on the defense. But the clear focal point of that stress is the quarterback,” he said.
On Daniels, specifically, Johnson said, “He's dangerous. I think that's a big reason why their running game is what it is. He strikes a lot of fear in opposing coaches because you look at him. You've got to account for him.”
More Than Just an Athlete
But it isn’t just Daniels’ athleticism that scares opposing coaches. Unlike some in the past who have entered the league with top-shelf athletic ability, the second-year Washington quarterback also has the arm to punish defenses that try to bring extra pressure or lose discipline in coverage.
"Jayden's an extremely accurate thrower of the football. Something that I think is overlooked when you look at him because he is so dynamic with his legs," Johnson says.
The last time the Commanders and Bears faced off, the NFL’s Moment of the Year was born. This year, it is quite possible that the contest becomes the launching point for Daniels’ next level of progression, not unlike his first Monday Night Football appearance in 2024 signaled his advancement from rookie quarterback to playmaker.
And if Chicago isn’t careful, a Hail Mary will only be part of the imagery everyone remembers when looking back at its outings against Washington and its dynamic young quarterback.
Cowboys’ Schottenheimer Has Tepid Defense of Embattled Coach After Week 6 Loss
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer of the Dallas Cowboys looks on during warmups prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Coming into Week 6 against the Cowboys, the Panthers offense, even after rallying for a win against an awful Dolphins bunch in Week 5, was a mostly underwhelming group that appeared on the brink of pulling the plug on the former No. 1 pick, quarterback Bryce Young. They ranked 26th in the NFL with 935 passing yards, and though they were 10th in rushing yards, nearly 40% of those yards came in their 239-yard Week 5 outburst last week vs. Miami.
Against the Cowboys, the Panthers looked like the Greatest Show on Turf, pulling off a 30-27 win on a late field-goal.
Young was 17-for-25 with 199 yards passing and three touchdowns, just the fourth time in 36 games he has thrown three TDs. And, more than that, there was running back Rico Dowdle, the former Cowboys starter who had delivered some pregame trash-talk to his ex team, warning them to, “Buckle up.”
Dowdle delivered, with 30 carries for 183 yards, and another 56 yards receiving on four catches. The Cowboys came into the game with a pass defense ranked dead last in the NFL, and a rush defense–one of the focuses of the team’s gameplan–that was rated 22nd as it gave up 127.4 yards per game. On Sunday, it gave up 216 yards.
Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer ‘Hopes’ Players Believe in Eberflus System
And so the hope and good will that had built up after Dallas pulled off a tie against the Packers and a win over the Jets quickly dissipated because, again, the Cowboys defense was not up to the task. That’s putting more heat on defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who has already taken slings and arrows from fans and media, and whose zone coverage strategy was openly questioned by Cowboys star Trevon Diggs.
Coach Brian Schottenheimer attempted to defend Eberflus on Sunday after the Panthers loss. His answers did not inspire confidence.
He was asked whether the players have confidence in Eberflus’s defense. It was not a resounding yes. Said Schottenheimer: “That’s the bigger thing. I would hope so. I would think so.”
He praised the effort, but one has to wonder–if the effort is there and the results are miserable, doesn’t that say something about the coach?
“Matt’s a great coach,” Schottenheimer said. “Everywhere he’s ever been he’s had good defenses. It’s not just Matt by himself. Matt’s trying. The players are trying. This is not a lack of effort.”
GettyDefensive coordinator Matt Eberflus of the Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys Defense Struggling All Over
All right, if it is not a lack of effort and the coaching is good, then Schottenheimer must, by default, be blaming the Cowboys personnel folks who put this group together. Indeed, the defense has been poor from top to bottom–the usual defensive line issues remain, even with the trade that brought in Kenny Clark in the Micah Parsons package, and the defensive backs have seemed to universally taken a step back.
That might be in part because of the Parsons trade. The Cowboys just can’t get after the quarterback, and have one of the worst pass-rushes in the NFL. The Cowboys sacked Young only once and allowed him a 114.8 quarterback rating.
Dak Prescott Sees D Improving
Quarterback Dak Prescott has been playing MVP-caliber football from his position, but the difficulty he is facing is that no matter how many points he pushes for the offense, the defense is always a threat to give up more. Dallas is giving up 30.7 points per game to this point.
Prescott was asked the reason he thinks the Cowboys can fix the defense.
“That we go against them every day,” he said. “It’s an iron sharpens iron mentality. I understand the players and pieces they have over there. You see them getting better. They’re getting better.”
