GLENDALE, Ariz. – – Jayden Daniels waited for a pair of blockers and then went forward for a 9-yard touchdown run, turning the ball behind his back before doing a little dance and flashing a big smile during a successful desert return.

Washington’s precocious starting quarterback makes it look easy and almost immediately turns the Commanders (3-1) into one of the NFL’s emerging teams.

“Fun times right now,” said Commanding Receiver Terry McLaurin.

Daniels threw for 233 yards and a touchdown and ran for a score, and the Commanders won their third straight with a 42-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

Daniels – the second overall pick last spring – became the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to score four touchdowns in his first four career games, joining Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III and Anthony Richardson. The Commanders have scored at least 30 points in two straight games for the first time since 2017.

“It feels good that we can execute the game plan, but we still have room to grow,” Daniels said.

Daniels completed 26 of 30 passes and has an absurd 82% completion percentage in his short career. He hit McLaurin for a 10-yard touchdown strike midway through the fourth quarterand found Zach Ertz in the back of the end zone on the 2-point conversion for an insurmountable 35-14 lead.

Jeremy McNichols ran for two touchdowns and Brian Robinson Jr. had 101 yards on the ground.

Daniels and Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury had a successful homecoming.

Daniels played three seasons in college at Arizona State before transferring to LSU, where he won the Heisman in 2023. Kingsbury was the Cardinals’ head coach from 2019-22 and led the franchise to the playoffs in 2021 before being fired after a 4-13 season the following year.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said he was particularly impressed with how the 23-year-old Daniels handled his return. Washington spent the week in Arizona and practiced all week on the Arizona State campus.

“You would never have known there was a history here,” Quinn said. “Steady all the way.”

Washington took control early in the third quarter on Daniels’ touchdown run, making it 24-7. The Commanders got a huge break on the previous play when Arizona’s Sean Murphy-Bunting was called for pass interference on a deep ball, resulting in a 47-yard penalty.

Arizona’s James Conner had a six-yard touchdown run near the end of the third quarter, cutting Washington’s lead to 27–14. Conner ran for 104 yards. Kyler Murray completed 16 of 22 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked four times.

“Frustrated to get beat like that at home,” Murray said. “I thought we had a good week of practice, but we didn’t come here to show it. It wasn’t good enough everywhere.”

Second-year coach Jonathan Gannon echoed Murray’s disappointment.

“We can’t look like this,” he said. “Because we didn’t give ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Washington’s offense has been the talk of the NFL in recent weeks. It scored on every drive over the past two games, excluding kneel-downs, becoming the first team since at least 2000 to accomplish the feat.

The Commanders were at it again against the Cardinals (1-3), methodically moving down the field on their first two drives to take a 14-7 lead. The 16-possession streak ended midway through the second quarter when Arizona’s Garrett Williams jumped for an interception, which was Daniels’ first of the season.

Washington also couldn’t get a first down on their next offensive possession, so Tress Way was forced to punt for the first time since September 8. But the Commanders offense still had a lot more good than bad.

The Cardinals took a 7-0 lead on the opening drive, ending with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Murray to Marvin Harrison Jr. during a fourth-and-1 play. It was the rookie’s fourth touchdown catch in three games.

Washington responded immediately, driving 70 yards on nine carries, capped by Robinson’s 6-yard touchdown run. Robinson — who played a bigger role with Austin Ekeler out with a concussion — ran for 38 yards on five carries during the drive.

The Commanders followed that up with a 93-yard touchdown drive that ended with McNichols running 27 yards down the left sideline for a 14-7 lead with 10:18 left in the second quarter.

Injuries

Commanders: Ekeler (concussion) was one of the seven inactives.

Cardinals: TE Trey McBride (concussion) and DL Khyiris Tonga (knee) were among the team’s inactives.

Next

Commanders: Host Cleveland next Sunday.

Cardinals: Next Sunday at San Francisco.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl