As crazy as it sounds, the touchdown throw from Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin that put the Washington Commanders up 21-7 over the New York Giants before halftime could have been better, at least from Daniels' perspective.

Daniels, who dropped back from the Giants' 18-yard line with 11 seconds left in the second quarter, wanted to throw the ball so that it would fall into McLaurin's arms or incomplete. Daniels said he could have put it more in front of McLaurin, and if you pay attention, you can see that McLaurin did have to slow up just a little to make sure he could make the catch.

Luckily for Daniels, McLaurin can erase his mistakes, however small.

"Terry made a hell of a play," Daniels said.

Adjusting to small imperfections in passes is the most of McLaurin's problems this season -- a stark departure from previous seasons. The Commanders are on the verge of doubling their win total from 2023, and McLaurin has more than done his part with 598 yards and six scores. McLaurin has long been recognized as a top receiver, but the stability at quarterback and within the offense has him poised to move into another tier.

"Every game with a guy like that, you come out of it saying I wish we would've gotten it to him more," said offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. "I mean, he's that type of a talent, and he plays hard."

McLaurin doesn't have much to complain about on the field these days, but drawing attention to himself has never been how the receiver operates, even when Washington was struggling to string wins together early in his career. "He does his job," Kingsbury said, and he doesn't complain about getting the ball, blocking or not being the featured player on a play. So, for someone who quietly handles his assignments, just how good McLaurin has been in his sixth season isn't always apparent.

McLaurin's stats are loud enough to highlight the 2019 third-round pick, though. Despite being tied for 18th in receptions and 20th in targets, he's seventh in receiving yards and tied for second in receiving touchdowns. He's already surpassed his touchdown total from 2023 and is one away from tying a career-high.

Those numbers are a credit to the trust that has grown between McLaurin and Daniels. McLaurin was targeted just four times in the Week 1 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since then, he has averaged seven targets per game with three 100-yard performances. The only time he dipped below four targets was last week against the Giants, although both of his catches resulted in touchdowns.

Building that relationship didn't take long, but it required some extra effort from both players. The two talk often after plays and spend extra time together learning what each other expects out of certain routes and throws. Daniels credited McLaurin for sticking with the process.

"That's the testament to Terry, who he is as a pro," Daniels said. "Be able to just be out there and be patient, because like I said before, it's not going to be smooth sailing, going to have some adversity, have some roller coaster, some ups and downs. So, salute to Terry."

That trust has helped elevate another one of McLaurin's strengths: contested catches. McLaurin leads the NFL in the category, per Pro Football Focus, and has the best contested catch rate among receivers with at least 10 such targets.

Again, McLaurin points to Daniels and his ball placement on throws as a reason for his success. When asked after the Giants game about Daniels' passes, McLaurin smiled and shook his head.

"I'm just proud of the chemistry him and I are building and how he has chemistry with the rest of our team as well," McLaurin said. "His ability -- I'm just gonna go ahead and say it straight up -- it was like he walked that [second touchdown] ball to me. A 'go' ball against off-coverage in the red zone can be a tough route, but he fit that ball right over his helmet, and I look up and it just fell right in my arms."

Kingsbury can see McLaurin and Daniels' comfort level growing by the week.

"That's what you hope happens as they get rolling," Kingsbury said. "And Terry's the guy who every day he puts in the work and if the ball's not coming to him, he doesn't say a word. He continues to work hard without the ball, with the ball, practicing hard. So, he's a real tone set for the entire team and to see him get in the end zone the last few weeks, he has been awesome and hopefully that continues."

Thanks in part to the Commanders having some stability at the quarterback position for the first time in McLaurin's career, the receiver is on pace for not just another 1,000-yard season but also a career-performance. He's currently sixth on Washington's all-time receiving list, and he has a chance to surpass Bobby Mitchell in the final eight games.

Daniels intends to do his part to help McLaurin get there.

"When the defense permits it," Daniels said when asked about when he knows to get McLaurin the ball. "I mean...his resume speaks for itself. And I'm glad that he's on my team."