Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Comparison Addressed by Steelers Coach

If anyone is qualified to compare Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels with Baltimore Ravens MVP Lamar Jackson it is Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

Nov 10, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) passes the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) defends during the first half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

LANDOVER, Md. -- The Washington Commanders fell to the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-27 on Sunday.

Wrapping up their four-game schedule against the AFC North the Commanders finish with a 2-2 record against the division, losing to the Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens while defeating the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.

Speaking of the Ravens, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels has drawn plenty of unsolicited comparisons to their quarterback Lamar Jackson. Comparisons he's not particularly looking for and ones that his own head coach along with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin aren't looking to make.

Nov 10, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) passes the ball as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen (6) defends during the first half at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

“Man, be real slow comparing people to Lamar Jackson," Tomlin said after his team's Week 10 win and first exposure to Daniels on the field of play. "That's a multi-time MVP. That’s 'Mr. Jackson'. We'll see 'Mr. Jackson' in a few days.”

In Week 11, Tomlin and his Pittsburgh squad will host Jackson and his Baltimore teammates for an AFC North Division matchup.

And when they do, the defense they use might look similar to the approach we saw on Sunday afternoon.

“It's a template for us.," Tomlin said of their approach to defending Daniels and the Washington offense. "You know, we have a mode of operation when we face extreme quarterback mobility and that's what he has. He also can throw it really well. But being in the [AFC] North facing guys like Mr. Jackson is somewhat familiar to us.”

If it works to defend Jackson it's not necessarily out of the realm of reality to think it would work against Daniels, which it did enough to get the Steelers' seventh win of the year.

The Commanders will want to examine that templated defense Pittsburgh used, because it caused Daniels to have the lowest completion percentage of his short career, produced just the second game this season where the rookie standout didn't score at least one touchdown (excluding the matchup against the Carolina Panthers when he played just one series before leaving injured), and forced the team's first unsuccessful fourth-down try of the season.

We're pretty sure the Philadelphia Eagles are studying that template as we speak, as they look to try and stifle Daniels themselves this Thursday night.

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