Commanders' Jayden Daniels is the NFL MVP 'And There Isn't a Close Second'

Nearing the midway point of the NFL season there's evidence to suggest the Washington Commanders' rookie is the best in the NFC.

Oct 20, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders are 5-2 entering a Week 8 matchup that is supposed to be an opportunity for the NFL to showcase the top two picks from the NFL Draft at the midway point of the season.

No. 1 overall pick quarterback Caleb Williams is the leader of the 4-2 Chicago Bears while No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels has sparked the Commanders to become arguably the most surprising success story of the year.

But not only is Daniels leading the upstart football team in Washington, but he's also the NFC leader to contend for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award so far according to Locked On Packers host Peter Bukowski, stating the claim in a recent episode of NFC Squad, part of the Locked On Podcast Network lineup.

Oct 20, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"Jayden Daniels is the leader in the NFL in EPA (Expected Points Added) per play right now and over the last decade (plus), the only MVPs to not also lead the league in EPA per play were (Carolina Panthers quarterback) Cam Newton in 2011 - so you have to go back 15 years - and (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson last year," Bukowski said. "And if he continues to play like this, I think there's going to be narrative momentum on his side."

It's a compelling argument. But not only is Bukowski arguing for Daniels to be the top contender to the MVP Award in the NFC, he's also staking claim to the fact that the rookie should be the leader nearing the midway point of the season overall.

"Unless Lamar (has) 45 touchdown passes and rushes for 1,000 yards, he's going to be beholden to his last MVP season and the one before that. Jayden Daniels is the name to me because narratively, if they win 11 games with as bad as we thought that defense was going to be, and this offense is - this offense is absurd right now. Yards per drive, yards per play, historic pace on efficiency (over) the last 10 years, we're talking about the 2018 (Kansas City) Chiefs and this offense, that's not an exaggeration. If you look at some of the advanced metrics, the answer is Jayden Daniels and there isn't a close second right now."

Bukowski certainly has a point. Given the fact we're hitting the midway point of the season there's still plenty of time left for things to change. But as it stands today its hard to argue against Daniels as a legitimate MVP candidate, if not the favorite.

After all, that 2018 Chiefs team not only produced historic efficiency ratings, it also produced quarterback Patrick Mahomes' first MVP Award.

NFC Squad is a new Locked On Podcast program where several hosts from shows covering NFC teams come together to discuss a wide range of topics. To hear the full discussion, go here.

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