The Washington Commanders won their fourth consecutive game on Sunday by defeating the Cleveland Browns, 34-13. Here are five takeaways from the victory.

1. Seven sacks from the defense.

True, the Browns came into Sunday giving up the most sacks in the NFL with 19 through four games. And true, the Browns were without starting right tackle Jack Conklin and have been otherwise banged up on the offensive line.

Still, it really feels like Washington's pass-rush is starting to hit its stride. The group brought down Deshaun Watson seven times, the most for the franchise since Week 2 of last season, for a combined loss of 33 yards.

Some of that is a credit to the duo of Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner, who combined for 13 tackles and four sacks. It was the third time that Luvu recorded multiple sacks in a game, while Wagner picked up the 35th of his Hall of Fame career.

What's more encouraging is that the sacks Washington generated put a stop to several of the Browns' drives. Four came on third down, while a fifth resulted in a fumble from Watson that was recovered by Luvu.

After getting just four sacks in the first three games, the Commanders have 11 in two weeks. They'll need a similar performance next week against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.

2. Jayden Daniels bounces back from his mistakes.

Jayden Daniels threw his first interception last week against the Arizona Cardinals. He followed that up by leading the Commanders' offense to three touchdowns and two field goals.

This week, Daniels threw his second interception, misfiring on a pass intended for Zach Ertz that landed in the hands of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Just like in Week 4, Daniels bounced back from one of his few mistakes.

It might not have been the flashy, record-setting performance that we're used to from Daniels, but the 320 yards of offense that we got from him were enough to win the game. He followed his interception up with a 34-yard scoring drive that started with a 12-yard pass to Terry McLaurin. That series ended with a touchdown from Brian Robinson Jr., and later in the first half, Daniels converted a fourth-down with a 34-yard run that set up yet another Robinson score.

And while Daniels didn't use his arm as much as he did against the Cardinals, he still showed off his deep-ball accuracy. He capped off the first half with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Dyami Brown that put the Commanders up 24-3.

Daniels will have the occasional error as he goes through his rookie season, but the Commanders can live with them if he's able to keep learning from them.

3. Only one third-down conversion from the Browns offense.

The Browns' offense was struggling in the games leading up to Week 5, but there were certainly pieces that could hurt the Commanders' offense if given the opportunity with Watson, Amari Cooper and Jerry Jeudy. Washington needed to ensure that Cleveland didn't gain any momentum that could turn the unit around, and that's exactly what the Burgundy & Gold accomplished with just one third-down conversion allowed on 13 attempts.

It was a tremendous performance from a defense that had given up the most third downs in the league. Some of that was a credit to how the Commanders played on first- and second-downs. Cleveland faced third-and-long seven times and only converted one, which came when the game was already out of hand for them.

But the Commanders also handled their business on third-and-short situations as well. Dorance Armstrong and Luvu combined for a tackle on Pierre Strong that left the Browns one yard short of the marker on their opening drive. Daron Payne also tackled Watson shy of a first down on third-and-5.

The Commanders will need to replicate that showing against the Ravens, who have the fifth most first downs and seventh best third-down conversion percentage.

4. A top-tier rushing offense.

As impressive as Daniels has been through the start of his rookie season, it's the Commanders' running game that has often fueled them to victory. The group did it again against the Browns, putting up at 200-plus rushing yards for third time in four weeks.

Daniels played a large role in that total with his 82 rushing yards (he now has 300 yards for the season) on 11 carries. But Austin Ekeler, who is fresh off being cleared from the concussion protocol, added another 67, most of which came from a 50-yard run that helped set up a field goal.

Brian Robinson Jr. was also in on the action, scoring two touchdowns with 18 yards, but Jeremy McNichols had another strong day with 44 yards of his own and another score. Washington already sat atop the league with 10 rushing touchdowns heading into Sunday, so that lead will likely increase in Week 6.

The Commanders were 24th in rushing yards this time last season. Now, they're third with 169.3 yards per game and that average is set to increase. The Ravens will aim to stop that, as they allow a league-low 57.8 yards on the ground.

5. Hope for the future.

As painful as it is, think back to last year and the emotions that surrounded the Commanders after a 4-13 finish. They were a lock to get a new head coach and general manager, but the road to improvement seemed like a long one that would take two or years at most to traverse.

Flash forward to now, and the Commanders have already tied their win total from 2023, and with a favorable slate of games on the horizon, they could conceivably almost double that by Week 9. It's a sign of how far the Commanders have come in such a short time, but more importantly, it appears to be sustainable. It's also evidence that the players are buying into Dan Quinn's messaging, bag drills and all.

The Commanders have answered almost every test up to this point in the season. Their next one will perhaps be the most difficult. The Ravens are not just perennial playoff contenders but Super Bowl hopefuls. Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry have proven themselves as deadly of a combination as many anticipated they would be. The game will also be on the road in front of a packed Ravens crowd looking forward to their team ending all the hype about Daniels and the Commanders.

Each week is a measuring stick in the NFL, but a win over an established, successful, respected franchise like the Ravens would elevate the Commanders' hype to an even higher level.