It took until the third quarter of Jayden Daniels' third NFL game for him to get his first passing touchdown, and it might end up being one of the most interesting bits of trivia about the quarterback's career.

The play was simple enough; Daniels faked a handoff to Brian Robinson Jr. and rolled out to his left unopposed as the entire Cincinnati Bengals defense bit on the play action. Daniels dumped off the pass to his target to give the Commanders a 15-point lead.

The player wasn't one of Daniels' usual pass-catchers but rather offensive tackle Trent Scott, who made the one-yard score and danced in the end zone with his fellow offensive linemen around him. It was an unexpected play by the Commanders in a critical moment, just like the team's 38-33 win over the Bengals in front of a packed road crowd.

Daniels, who helped Washington (2-1) secure its first Week 3 win since 2018, was the star of the night competing against the Bengals and Joe Burrow -- a player he was often compared to during his two-year stint at LSU. Daniels outplayed his fellow Heisman Trophy winner, setting a single-game rookie record with a completion rate of 91.3% to go with 293 total yards and three touchdowns.

Daniels' performance was another sign of the rookie's growth, which has continued to progress without much of a hitch since OTAs. He was smart with the ball, as the team has yet to commit a turnover; delivered explosive plays when the offense needed them; and used his legs to extend plays. He even slid to protect himself on a scramble.

And as Daniels excelled, so did the Commanders' offense, which has now gone consecutive 17 drives without needing to punt. The Commanders put up 38 points for the first time since Thanksgiving of the 2020 season and converted five of their nine third-down attempts, which helped them control the ball for over 33 minutes.

Even more impressive were the three fourth-down conversions Washington pulled out over the course of the evening. The offense gained 43 yards on those three plays, most of which came from a 30-yard catch-and-run by Luke McCaffrey, and all three indirectly led to points.

Washington's defense played well enough once again to keep it in the game, holding the Bengals to field goals on two of their drives and forcing an incompletion on a two-point attempt in the fourth quarter, but the unit continues to be a work in progress. Burrow was impressive as expected, completing 29 of 38 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns, two of which went to Ja'Marr Chase.

The Commanders went the entire game without forcing a punt from the Bengals, marking the third consecutive game that they have forced two or fewer. Explosive plays also continue to be an issue, as shown by Chase's 41- and 31-yard touchdowns, though those were the only two plays from the Bengals that went those distances.

The offense has shown it can handle itself while the defense improves, though, as the unit went 3-for-3 in the red zone, starting with their opening drive after McCaffrey's reception put them at the Bengals' 2-yard line. Robinson ran unopposed into the end zone two plays later, tying the score at 7-7 following Burrow's 41-yard shot to Chase.

Washington needed to rely on the Bengals to make some mistakes on offense. While they were sparse, the few gaffes Cincinnati had were pivotal. Evan McPherson missed a field goal -- his first in 30 tries -- wide left on a 48-yard attempt that would have put the Bengals up 10-7. The Commanders responded with a seven-play, 62-yard drive, which ended with Austin Ekeler scampering through a running lane made by Nick Allegretti for a 24-yard touchdown.

McPherson had another try on the Bengals' ensuing drive -- this time being good from 28 yards out -- but Washington found paydirt once again. Daniels aired it out Terry McLaurin, who had just 39 yards heading into Week 3, for a 55-yard catch that set the Commanders up at the Bengals' 4-yard line. Daniels took it in from there, helping to give his team a 21-13 halftime lead.

Burrow didn't go down easy. He and the Bengals responded to Daniels' touchdown to Scott that started the third quarter with a methodical 13-play, 78-yard drive, punctuated by a two-yard score from Andrei Iosivas on fourth-and-goal. The Commanders moved in range for a 42-yard attempt from Austin Seibert but then allowed the Bengals to cover 70 yards in just five plays and the lead to five points with Chase's second score.

Washington put the game away for good after that. Daniels and the offense put together a 12-play drive that ate 7:32 off the clock. With the ball at the Bengals' 27-yard line on third-and-7, Daniels launched the ball to McLaurin before taking a hit from a Bengals defender. McLaurin made the grab in the end zone, putting the Commanders up by 12 points and turning Zach Moss' one-yard touchdown with 40 seconds left into one last inconsequential attempt at a comeback.

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