With hopes of stoking the momentum ignited in the win against the Giants last Sunday, Washington did that and then some in Cincinnati, beating the Bengals, 38-33. Quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste and offensive tackle Trent Scott had X-factor performances in a memorable Monday Night Football win.

Jayden Daniels

Surrounded by the extra bright lights of the big stage, Daniels quite simply glowed in Cincinnati. Viewers watching would not be faulted for thinking, "Is that kid really a rookie?" as the signal-caller strung together a masterclass in Week 3.

The poise, accuracy, speed and more that Daniels showed in the first two weeks of the season were on full display against the Bengals. He spread the wealth on the ground and in the air (Hello, Terry McLaurin…more on that later), showed good decision-making when it came to using his feet and came up huge when his team needed it most to extend and finish drives.

At the game's end, Daniels was 21-for-23 for 293 total yards. That included 39 rushing yards and three total touchdowns. The quarterback finished with more touchdowns than incompletions and the highest completion percentage ever for a rookie quarterback. Talk about a historic primetime debut.

Terry McLaurin

The saying goes that good things come to those who wait. McLaurin was proof of that in Washington's second win of the season on Monday night.

Much had been made in these first few weeks of football about the wideout's quiet outings. He didn't see the ball very much against Tampa Bay and New York, recording just 39 yards in those matchups.

McLaurin, though, wasn't concerned. This is a guy, let's remember, who has played with ten different starting quarterbacks since arriving in Washington in 2019. So, McLaurin knows rhythm and connection with a new signal-caller takes time. As emphasized repeatedly last week, he also trusts in his ability and trusts what the team is trying to establish. The passes will come, McLaurin said with confidence.

And they did. With just under three minutes to play in the second quarter against Cincinnati, McLaurin split his two defenders downfield on a go route and hauled in a 55-yard ball from Daniels to set up a walk-in score.

Then, in arguably the highlight of the night, McLaurin, who was already being brought down by his defender at the edge of the end zone, managed to secure the 27-yard pass from Daniels while keeping his body in bounds to put Washington up 11 with 2:10 left to play.

He called it. Defenses beware; the Daniels-McLaurin connection has just started to come to life.

Javontae Jean-Baptiste

Washington's defense has had its moments this season, but overall is still working to find its footing and flow to match the rolling Commanders offense through three games. Joe Whitt Jr. has emphasized the run-and-hit identity he is working to implement, underscoring the importance of players arriving violently.

With that in mind, there's little doubt that rookie defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste got a pat on the back from Whitt & Co after one third-quarter play. With quarterback Joe Burrow looking to mount a comeback with his team down by 15, Jean-Baptiste beat Bengals first-round rookie tackle Amarius Mims and wrangled Burrow to the ground. The play was the first career sack for the Notre Dame seventh-rounder.

Trent Scott

McLaurin? Zach Ertz? Noah Brown? As guesses for who would catch Daniels' first touchdown in the pros, those would all make sense.

Instead, the player who now holds that distinction is very much an unlikely suspect: offensive tackle Trent Scott. In the third quarter, the Commanders were up 21-13, and the offense had marched down to the Bengals' one-yard line. Daniels dropped back and hit a wide-open Scott with a short one-yard pass to the left. Cue the celebrations and dances; it was clear the Commanders were having fun.

Scott's TD reception was not only the first of his career, but it was the first offensive lineman touchdown for Washington since Joe Jacoby in 1984. And for what it's worth, Washington is 5-0 when an offensive lineman catches a touchdown.