Following back-to-back defeats, the Washington Commanders, who began the season at a scorching 7-2 pace, are now 7-4. Both the media and fans are speculating that this is primarily because of the rib injury that rookie sensation Jayden Daniels sustained against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. Commanders first-year head coach Dan Quinn claims that his quarterback’s ailment is no longer a problem, regardless of whether that is accurate.

“Dan Quinn states unequivocally that Jayden is not injured at this moment,” but he also notes that Daniels missed a significant amount of practice time, which affected the offense,” NBC Sports’ JP Finlay said from Quinn’s press conference on Monday.

Daniels has undoubtedly been much less active since the Panthers game, regardless of whether he is or was hurt. He had five games with more than 210 throwing yards and a much higher completion rate in the six games before that. He has only gone over 210 once in the last four games.

More significantly, Daniels recorded over 35 rushing yards in five of those six games and double-digit rushing attempts in four of those six games. Since then, he has only reached 35 yards once and hasn’t ran more than eight times in a single game.

Quinn, Daniels, and the Commanders have excellent news: the team’s next opponents are the Tennessee Titans and the weak Dallas Cowboys, followed by a Week 14 bye. The rookie quarterback should therefore be rested, prepared, and healthy before the season’s crucial final three games.

Does Offensive Rookie of the Year go to Jayden Daniels?

Similar to the stock market, the NFL postseason awards watch fluctuates, and following two consecutive losses, the stock of the Jayden Daniels for Offensive Rookie of the Year Award is currently in a bear market.

Daniels has struggled a little in Weeks 10 and 11, casting doubt on what previously appeared to be a done thing. But more than that, a rival has surfaced to contend with him for that trophy. Bo Nix, the rookie signal-caller for the Denver Broncos, has won three of his last five games and is just one win away from making it four straight and giving the Kansas City Chiefs their first defeat of the season. Nix has apparently gotten better every week.

Daniels remains the overwhelming favorite to win the prize, but if this pattern holds true over the coming weeks, expect Nix to get increasing attention.

After a “mini-bye,” players return with the goal of getting back on track.

There was a strange atmosphere about this version of the Washington Commanders last week. The team went from 7-2 and at the top of the NFC East to 7-4, sitting at the seventh seed if the playoffs began today, after a 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers that was full of self-inflicted mistakes and an equally disappointing 26-18 away loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The club has already surpassed the expectations of many outside analysts at the beginning of the season on a number of indicators. The Commanders won seven of their first nine games, with their two defeats coming against the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, dismissing worries that they would require time to recover under head coach Dan Quinn.

However, the Commanders’ success raised the bar, and the focus now is on being ready for a potential deep postseason run behind No. 2 choice Jayden Daniels rather than demonstrating proof of concept. There are some long-term benefits to the Commanders being able to properly compete against the best teams, but for the time being, their first losing run, in which they have appeared notably off for a number of reasons, is the most hardship they have had this season. After losing to the Eagles, the players took the weekend off, and they think the break would help them both physically and mentally.

Running back Austin Ekeler remarked in the Eagles’ locker room, “Just getting rested up and kind of collecting your mind and come back in the building and get ready to play,”

After both losses last week, there was a mixture of disappointment and frustration. The Commanders had a reasonable chance of winning one or both of the matches despite the plethora of mental mistakes. The evidence of what Washington can do when it is in rhythm is the source of the frustration. Their offense, which was third in points per game and fourth in third-down conversion rate, was among the top five going into the Steelers game. Their defense, which had the fifth-ranked team against the pass, had improved from being at the bottom of the league to putting up more respectable numbers.

A harsh reminder that the team is still developing was given last week. With just 506 combined yards, an offensive team that began the season systematically dismantling defenses recorded its two lowest production totals of the year (they came very close to reaching that total against the Chicago Bears over a month ago with 481). Daniels’ unusual passes and the Commanders’ blatant disregard for superior defenders are just two of the many contributing elements in this situation. The participants are aware that it is insufficient, so they are not offering any justifications.

The words “I gotta play better,” were spoken by Daniels. “I definitely want some of the throws back. believe that we should all simply examine ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves, “How can we improve going forward?”