The Washington Commanders are on a four game winning streak and getting more national attention after every victory. The questions about whether the team is legit, are turning into how far can they go this season, and in the post-season? Rookie QB phenom Jayden Daniels got a breather early in the 4th quarter last week, something that Washington fans are used to see from opposing teams. The wins have been relaxing and exciting to watch, and it has been a great time to be a fan.

Washington is now 4-1, and they still have sole possession of first place in the NFC East. FanDuel had them at 6 ¹⁄₂ wins this year, and that over is going to give some optimistic fans a nice payday. Washington was a bottom 10 team at the beginning of the season, and now they’re being listed in the Top 5 more by the week. Jayden Daniels has been everything fans could hope for at this point, and we’re only five games into the season.

High: 4

Low: 16

Average: 8.2

#4

Sports Illustrated(Orr)

A stunning performance over the sleepwalking Browns. Jayden Daniels saw pressure and, on third-and-forevers, was evading defenders and torching secondaries. In that battle between quarterbacks, both were facing an onslaught of defenders. One of the two made the defense pay and regret ever sending an extra rusher. Jayden Daniels, welcome to the MVP conversation. Last week: 5

The Athletic(Kendall)

Even the people who were optimistic about Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels weren’t optimistic enough. Daniels was 99th in the draft order and sits fifth in points per game (22.68) and second in points by quarterbacks after five weeks. He passed for 238 yards and rushed for 82 against the Browns and has now led Washington in rushing in three of its five games in addition to being the NFL’s leader in expected points added per dropback (.38). Last week: 6

#5

Pro Football Talk

We’ll learn a lot about this team on Sunday, when they visit the next team on the list. Last week: 9

#6

NFL.com(Edholm)

Through five weeks, the Commanders are nearly halfway to their 2023 season total of 329 points. They’ve already matched last year’s win total of four and have a chance to make a statement in a Week 6 showdown with the Ravens. Non-conference tilts normally don’t weigh this much, but this is shaping up as the biggest Commanders game in years. A loss obviously won’t kill what has been a dream start to the season. But win this one, and who knows how high the ceiling is for this club? Jayden Daniels didn’t have his sharpest game on Sunday. He was a little off-target early, but he finished with 320 combined passing and rushing yards, shaking off the early red-zone pick to finish with a good performance overall. And how about Washington’s defense? This might not be a special unit right now, but that’s three solid performances in the past four games. Last week: 7

CBS Sports(Prisco)

They are the surprise of the league, but they haven’t exactly beaten up on good teams during their four-game winning streak. They get the Ravens this week in a real prove-it game. Last week: 8

The 33rd Team(Mosher)

The Washington Commanders are not a fluke. Against one of the league’s best defenses, Jayden Daniels lit up the Browns in a game that was never competitive.

Washington’s defense is starting to come together, as it allowed just six non-garbage-time points to the Browns. Through five games, the Commanders have to be considered the clear-cut favorites in the NFC East. What a start for Washington. Last week: 11

Sporting News(Iyer)

The Commanders are in complete control of their run-heavy offensive game plan with rookie QB Jayden Daniels, which always allows them to roll into a fast downfield passing game. The more recent surprise is the defense starting to rev up the pass rush for Dan Quinn. Last week: 10

Fox Sports(Helman)

Let’s be clear: I believe in Washington. The Commanders have gone head-to-head against great offenses, like Cincinnati’s, and won. This past week, they took down a quality defense in Cleveland. I firmly believe they’re a good team. This week’s trip to Baltimore is less about proving they belong, and more about showing us how high their ceiling really is. Last week: 9

Clutch Points(Johrendt)

The Washington Commanders continue to surprise, and their Week 5 easy win over the Cleveland Browns was just another showing of what Jayden Daniels is capable of, as the Commanders comfortably find themselves nearing the top five of our Week 6 NFL Power Rankings.

Throwing for 238 yards and running for 82, Daniels was exactly what this offense desperately needed. Terry McLaurin seems extremely happy to have a good quarterback throwing him passes, as the veteran hauled in four for 112 yards, including a 66-yard bomb from Daniels. Last week: 10

#7

ESPN

Fantasy surprise: QB Jayden Daniels

Daniels being the No. 2 fantasy quarterback (averaging 22.7 fantasy points) behind Lamar Jackson and Baker Mayfield was not anticipated. Daniels is throwing 227.0 yards per game, and he’s on pace for 14 touchdown passes and 14 rushing touchdowns. He’s also on pace to throw for more than 3,800 yards and rush for more than 1,000. That’s quite a combination, and it’s a key reason he has become such a good fantasy player and a dangerous quarterback overall. — John Keim Last week: 11

USA Today(Davis)

Lotta firsts here. First place. First team with 13 rushing TDs through five weeks since Gerald Ford was president. First rookie (Jayden Daniels) to start his career with 1,000 passing yards and 250 rushing yards five games in. Pretty soon, their supporters will be musing about the possibility of their first Super Bowl trip post-Joe Gibbs. Last week: 9

New York Post(Dunleavy)

No team has scored more points this season than the Commanders, who pounded the Browns, 34-13, for a fourth straight win. Daniels threw a 41-yard touchdown pass and was one of four rushers – along with Brian Robinson, Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols – who combined to carry 31 times for 211 yards. Daniels scored on the ground, too. Last week: 10

Bleacher Report

For the first time in a while, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels looked like a rookie Sunday against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Daniels threw an early interception at the goal line and completed just 14 of 25 passes.

It didn’t matter even a little—thanks to over 200 yards on the ground and a second straight stout defensive performance, the Commanders pasted the Browns to win their fourth consecutive game.

After the win, Daniels told reporters that he’s doing his best to maintain an even keel despite this early success.

“Stay the course,” he said. “Don’t get too high, get too low. Everything’s going to work out. I just missed some throws. That’s it. Some throws I wish I had back, but we were able to capitalize on some plays.”

Daniels accounted for over 300 yards of offense against the reeling Browns. And while it seemed incomprehensible just one month ago to be saying this, Knox thinks the Commanders might just be the best team in the NFC East.

“Rookie phenom Jayden Daniels didn’t have his cleanest game as a pro in Week 5, but it didn’t really matter,” Knox said. “For the second straight week, Washington’s defense showed up and helped propel the Commanders to a decisive win. That should concern the rest of the NFC East. Daniels is playing like the best quarterback in the division, and Washington just might have its most complete roster.”

We may well find out just how good the Commanders really are next week, when Daniels and Washington make the short road trip to Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Last week: 14

#8

Yahoo Sports(Schwab)

Jayden Daniels is playing so well he deserves to be in the early MVP conversation. It’s tougher to know what to do with the Commanders. Is this the level we can expect all season? Philadelphia is still favored to win the NFC East, and that seems right. Maybe. Last week: 12

The Score

Jayden Daniels continues to spur a revamped Commanders unit. Washington is second in the league with 31 points per contest and is averaging 178.4 rushing yards per game during its four-game win streak. Last week: 12

WalterFootball

Jayden Daniels has been incredible, but so has Washington’s defense the past two weeks. Is this a fluke? I’m not sure, but Washington has suffocated the Cardinals and Browns in consecutive games. Last week: 9

Odds Shark

Last week: 15

#9

Pro Football Network(Cannata)

This Commanders offense remains unstoppable, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be slowing down any time soon.

During their four-game winning streak, the Commanders have averaged 416 yards per game, and have cemented themselves as one of the most explosive units in the NFL.

While Jayden Daniels finished the game with a season-low mark in completion percentage, (

Defensively, Washington had a breakthrough day against the Browns, holding them to just 212 yards of offense and 13 points. This type of performance, however, is not sustainable against non-Watson-led offenses.

After two consecutive weeks of winning by 21 or more points, the Commanders will have their biggest test of the short season in Week 6 against the Ravens. But if Washington can sustain their offensive production, they could be in the driver’s seat to win the NFC East. Last week: 10

Sportsnaut(Johnson)

The beauty with Jayden Daniels under center is that even when he’s not as sharp as a passer – 14-for-25 with 1-1 TD-INT on Sunday – he can still make an explosive play through the air and give you great production on the ground. Daniels is playing well and thanks to run-game coordinator Anthony Lynn, the Washington Commanders run game is really coming together. We wouldn’t bet on the Commanders to beat the Baltimore Ravens next week, but it should be a great game. Last week: 13

Sharp Football Analysis

Last week: 15

#11

NumberFire

Last week: 21

#12

The Lines

Jayden Daniels and the Commanders can prove, beyond doubt, that they’re a legitimate contender if they hang with the Ravens next week. Last week: 18

#14

NFL Trade Rumors(Woodie)

Washington put a total beatdown on the overmatched Browns, maintaining their lead in the NFC East. First-round QB Jayden Daniels had a rough first half, yet the rest of the roster stepped up to help him when he needed it. It was an important mark for this Commanders squad, as it seems this team is a lot better on the whole then we initially assumed. Last week: 16

#15

The Ringer(Lee)

Last week: 21

#16

Team Rankings

Last week: 21