Can the Arizona Cardinals Stop Jayden Daniels?

Welcome to week four of the 2024 NFL season! It’s hard to believe we’re already a quarter of the way through the season, but yet here we are.

The Arizona Cardinals are off to a 1-2 start to the season, but they have been competitive throughout the season and that’s all we can ask for.

This weekend the Cardinals stay home to defend the home against Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders.

Daniels, who spent three seasons at Arizona State, quickly adapted to the next level as a weapon, especially as a runner. Against the Bengals on Monday night, Daniels had a historic performance as a passer.

If this trend continues, Daniels could be a frontrunner for the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Of course, even though Daniels is missing on the offensive line and Washington doesn’t have a defense to defend, he has help around him to create offensive success.

In layman’s terms, the Cardinals have a great chance to topple Washington, but there will most likely be a shootout.

Once again, we’re here to evaluate the panic meter on certain aspects of this game for the Cardinals. Let’s start with the most obvious threat…

Daniels broke out in a big way against the Bengals on Monday night, going 21/23 through the air for 254 yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard punt to Terry McLaurin (more on that later).

Washington is waiting for the ability to pass without asking any questions about the second overall pick as the running back. Daniels has 171 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

In just his fourth career game, JD5 has become a well-known and respected dual-threat point guard. With his big arm and elite running ability, most NFL defenses will have a hard time containing the Heisman Trophy winner.

The Cardinals struggled in week one against Josh Allen, who also has dual-threat talent, and although Allen is light years ahead of Daniels, it’s worth noting. AZ will need to be very careful with Daniels or he will crush the Cards with his elite athleticism. One, two, three, four, etc. for Daniels, Arizona. is a priority.

Panic meter: 7.5/10

There’s a good reason we mentioned McLaurin earlier. The Pro Bowl receiver finally emerged as a weapon in the air against the Bengals. After recording just 39 yards in the first two games of the year, he and Daniels eventually got on the same page, culminating in a 100-yard rushing performance with the aforementioned 55-yard score.

The potential of the Daniels-McLaurin connection should be enough for the league to take notice when game-planning for Washington.

All things considered, the Cards are fine in terms of pass coverage, ranking 15th in yards per game at 200 straight. They’ve also faced some high-end buyers, so they’re battle-tested.

Washington has little opportunity in the passing game outside of McLaurin, so the Cardinals can focus their attention on F1. Still, McLaurin is as dangerous as they come, and if he and Daniels continue to move forward in tandem, the Cards will have their hands full.

Panic meter: 7/10

McBride will travel to Arizona this weekend as he deals with a concussion. The fact that McBride led the team in receptions (14) and ranked second on the team behind Marvin Harrison Jr. in receiving yards (122) was undoubtedly a huge blow to this offense.

The third-year tight end has come into his own lately, and missing him on offense was a heavy blow. Washington ranks 31st against the pass this season, so having McBride on the field would be ideal for Arizona.

They still have MHJ and a few other weapons to attack the Commanders’ fearsome defense, but missing the Pro Bowl tight end is detrimental. Hopefully Kyler Murray can attack the field more in this game to make up for missing his intermediate goal.

Panic meter: 6/10