What we got to witness on Monday night was one of my favorite games I have ever seen from this team. The last time I had that much fun watching football was in my grandparents kitchen on Thanksgiving when RG3 and Alfred Morris ran it up in Dallas. Last blog, I said a win would be huge for the narrative that we have entered a new era of DC football. This team went on the road as the biggest underdogs of the week and did exactly that. Within three weeks of Jayden Daniels at quarterback, the vibe of this entire franchise has changed. The people of DC have been waiting for over 20 years, and we have finally found a second quarterback who gives us something to believe in.
The story of my life as a football has gone as follows. This team gains some momentum and gives fans a small piece of hope. Then, the second we have the opportunity to do something big; we get embarassed and sent straight back down to reality. It’s a tale as old as time. But something about this win feels different. History did not repeat itself. Nobody thought we would walk into Cincinnati and actually win but that is exactly what this team did. About 90% of DraftKings bets were on the Bengals at kickoff. The phrase “Fade the public” exists for a reason. Vegas made some money and so did the loyal fans from DC.
After their first drive, this game had Monday Night Massacre written all over it. They walzed down the field and everyone, including myself, thought the game was already over. What we witnessed afterwards was simply something that just doesn’t happen in DC. We responded. The fact that we were able to flip the Bengals on their back and start throwing the punches was such an unexpected, enjoyable thing to watch. I was unsure of how to react to the events taking place. It’s not something us people from DC are exactly used to seeing when our football team plays.
Jayden was absolutely flawless. Not only is he incredibly athletically gifted, but he matches his physical attributes with his mentals. He put everything on full display. In a game that would’ve been too big for every quarterback I’ve watched in the burgundy and gold for the past 10 years, the moment was not too big for him. A rookie signaling to the sideline to go for it on 4th downs is not something you normally see. He has already earned the trust of this staff and fanbase to step up to the occasion and deliver when it is needed.
Media personalities are asking if it was the best rookie performance ever by a quarterback. He broke the rookie single game completion percentage record and currently has the second highest completion percentage through 3 games in NFL history. You want to know who is third on that list? A guy named Tom Brady. Some of you might have heard of him before. People will argue it’s because he has thrown mostly checkdowns. Since the second half of the Giants game, that has not been the case whatsoever.
Aside from missing Terry on the deep ball, he did not make any mistakes and methodically picked apart the Bengals defense with his arm and legs. Our offense has been so consistent we have scored points every drive excluding knees for the past two games. Jayden and Kliff accomplished something that has never been done in the Super Bowl era. It took Jayden 3 games to tie the combined total of Brady, Mahomes, Brees, and Peyton Manning (1094 starts) on games where their team scored on every drive other than taking a knee. Tress has never gone this long without punting. Postgame, he was icing his fingers and took a joke from a teammate about getting drug tested because of how good he held the ball. I must say, they were all perfect holds. Things have been going pretty well so far for this college style offense if you ask me.
Speaking of the college style approach, Kliff Kingsbury deserves just as much credit as I am giving Jayden. He called an incredible game. He is finding ways to give this offense, which includes limited weapons, the best chance to move the ball down the field. The big man touchdown to Trent Scott got me out of my seat. Unfortunate moment to have two people involved in their first career touchdowns. At least Jayden didn’t start chasing down Trent begging for the ball like another rookie did on Sunday. With Kliff at the helm as Jayden develops, this offense will only get better. It is already the most exciting offense we have had in a long time and we’ve only seen 3 games.
As a defensive head coach, I do expect a lot more out of DQ’s unit. I would rather focus on the positives in such a big win than the negatives. For that reason, I must give him credit for making the decisions to go for it on every 4th down. It’s obvious the staff knows our defense won’t be winning us games. Realistically, the offense will have to perform to this standard every game to beat teams like this. We played as good as possible and still could’ve seen a different outcome if they didn’t miss the field goal and two point conversion. The defense has a lot to figure out but at least the offense is making up for it.
One of the most relieving story lines from the game: Terry is still really good at football. My statement from last blog that I was a little worried was entirely shutdown from the performance we had been waiting on from our star. When the team needed a play, he asked for the ball to be thrown his way. Plays like that from JD and Terry are what get locker rooms and fanbases behind you. The ball was thrown before Terry crossed the 20 yard line. It was the epitome of a “Fuck it, Terry’s down there somewhere” throw. Jayden knew he was going to get lit up but stood tall and gave his best pass catcher a chance. It was the most exciting play I’ve seen since Heineke dove for the pylon. Everyone knew the Bengals were going to score again. That touchdown was the icing on the cake. Also, I have to mention Jeremy McNichols suplexing a linebacker coming straight through the gap. It makes a lot of sense why he made the roster.
BRob and Ekeler put together another game furthering the argument that they are one of the best tandems in the league. Montgomery and Gibbs currently hold the honors as the best duo. However, I genuinely think our guys have a made an extremely valid case as the second best. Other teams around the league are not seeing the same production from both backs like we are. I loved the formations with both of them in the backfield. It would be a lot of fun to see us break out a Wishbone. I mean hey, if we’re just a simple college offense why not continue to build the identity. Losing Ekeler this Sunday is a huge loss. We need him back as quickly as possible. He has proved just how much he means to this team.
Now, to give myself credit on all of the locks I provided the readers last week. Every pick I gave was a winner. That’s just what we do around here. It felt really good seeing Ekeler break one out to the endzone. I’d say that was the sharpest call from last week. BRob to the end zone was and is always free. The Terry touchdown cashed his over in dramatic fashion. I don’t think you can draw up hitting a sweat in a better way. The over hit by a considerable margin. Even the heart bet was a winner. There’s something about knowing your team that gives you what feels like a slight advantage over Vegas.
To talk bets this week, I like the same ones as last week once again. Shocker right? What can I say I’m a simple guy. For the brain bets: Terry over receptions, BRob to score, and the over. Terry finally graduated to 4.5 receptions. Seeing his performance last game, it would be dumb of Kliff to not draw up more plays to him. His yards is also very enticing. It’s become clear Kliff likes drawing up Terry go balls. For the over, we have a good offense and a bad defense. That’s a sound enough reasoning in my book. I do have another flyer pick for someone who I believe is ready for a trip to the endzone. Luke McCaffrey has had two catches to the one yard line in three games. I believe he is due to score his first career touchdown this weekend. The opposing team’s WR1’s over is once again a favorable bet with Marvin Harrison on the other side of the field. I expect my take will make it to 4-0. I wouldn’t blame anyone who decides to start rolling over this wager to see if it makes it through the whole season. Lastly for the heart bet, our moneyline. No explanation needed.
I must comment on the touchdown every game bet slipping my mind for a few weeks. I was telling a friend about my future and how it had already survived longer than last year before he reminded me we did not find the end zone against the Giants. Then, the realization hit me the bet survived longer last year with Sam Howell at QB than it did this year with Jayden Daniels. That is an truly unbelievable. The bet lasted till Week 3 and Week 2 in back to back seasons. I have declared the wager as my kryponite but am determined it will hit one day. I already know I will place it every year then it will be a winner the season I finally forget about it. Just because that is how gambling works out for most of us.
To get into this week’s game, it will be hard to follow up last week’s performance. This could very well be a trap game for us. We are riding the high of our biggest win in the last few years. A win that made it very easy to get sucked into the believing we are actually a good football team. I’ll say it I’m a sucker and a fool for this team. I am sure of the fact we have a good offense, but unsure if we are a good team. As 3.5 point dogs on the road, I like our odds to bring home win number 3 of the year. We are likely in for another high scoring shootout. The Cardinals leading tackler hit the IR this week. That should open things up for BRob and Jayden in the run game. A major key to this game and likely all moving forward will be keeping this defense off the field as much as possible.
I will continue to tell myself and believe this is a new era of DC football until I am proven otherwise. The national spotlight is now on our quarterback. We’ve seen this as something which brings out the best in him. Ideally, we can keep this momentum moving in the right direction and stack up another win leading up to back to back weeks against tough defenses. In my mind, new era has become the theme of this season. Three wins in a row would keep it going. Wishing everyone a great weekend. Good luck out there and see everyone next week
Photo Credit: Carolyn Kaster / AP Photo