Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels typically speaks very well in front of the media. But on Sunday after the team tied the New York Giants 27-27, he might have been a little less than perfect.
That’s what ESPN’s Benjamin Solak and FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna implied while analyzing what Daniels said about his team’s clock mismanagement at the end of overtime in Week 5.
“This is kinda wild,” Solak wrote in response to one of Daniels’s answers in his Week 5 postgame press conference. “Coaching staff should be reminding the QB of the situation there, but you’re the QB.
“Had all the time in the world to check the scoreboard for clock and timeout numbers before the play. Passing the buck up the chain sucks.”
The Commanders were at the New York 24-yard line with 13 seconds left in overtime. They faced a second-and-8 when Daniels dropped back to throw.
The problem, though, was the Commanders didn’t have a timeout. So when Daniels scrambled and then fell down for a sack near the line of scrimmage, the clock was running. Time expired before the Commanders could take another snap.
Solak’s social media post was in response to this explanation from Daniels on what happened at the very end of overtime:
“We got to stop the clock; we got to know the zone situation,” the Commanders quarterback said. “We got to relay that as an offense. It starts with everyone — top down. But ultimately, though, it’s on me.”
As a follow-up questions, a reporter asked Daniels if anyone in the huddle said the offense had to stop the clock to leave enough time for the field goal attempt. The signal-caller mostly avoided the question.
“Yeah, we just got to be better. We got to be better.”
Did Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Throw Coaches Under the Bus?
For most of his answer, Daniels took blame for the ill-advised decision on what ended up being the final play of their Week 5 contest. But Solak wasn’t the only one who didn’t care for at least part of the quarterback’s answer on what happened.
“Right, my thoughts exactly,” McKenna wrote in response to Solak’s criticism. “He took the blame in an earlier question. He takes the blame again at the end here.
“But sandwiched in the middle? It’s the tiniest little finger point.”
With that point, McKenna seemed to be referencing the “It starts with everyone — top down” part of Daniels’s answer. The two analysts appeared to interpret the remark as putting head coach Dan Quinn on notice.
Daniels not answering whether someone in the huddle reminded everyone to leave enough time for the field goal might confirm Quinn and/or offensive coordinator David Blough didn’t communicate that fact.
Others on social media, though, didn’t have the same interpretation as Solak and McKenna. By “top down,” Daniels could strictly be referring to himself. He’s the quarterback. On the field, particularly on offense, he’s at the top.
Commanders fans can decide for themselves whether Daniels delivered a slight dig to Quinn or Blough. A lot of fans, though, are probably going to give him the benefit of the doubt since with most of his comments, the quarterback accepted blame for Sunday’s tie.
Jayden Daniels Under Scrutiny for Passing Blame on Commanders Clock Mismanagement