Real or Mirage: Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels Look Elite ... Plus, Xavier McKinney Makes History | 4 Downs
Real or Mirage: Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels Look Elite ... Plus, Xavier McKinney Makes History | 4 Downs
Separating fact from fiction following one of the most competitive NFL Sundays in recent memory
The early window of Week 5 action presented several opportunities to separate fact from fiction.
So many narratives emerged after the season’s first month, both for the premier rookie quarterbacks from this year’s draft class and several presumptive Super Bowl contenders in the AFC that could be settled on October’s first Sunday. At least for a day.
Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson went toe-to-toe in a game that felt going in like it has the potential to determine the course of the AFC North race, likewise, two of the most complete teams in the league, the Buffalo Bills and Houston Texans, squared off 1,055 miles due southwest.
One game ended on a game-winning field goal at the buzzer, the other needed overtime to settle the score.
Meanwhile, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams each authored the kind of performances that elevate expectations for the rest of this season and beyond for the two crown jewels of this rookie class.
So, how much of what we saw early Sunday afternoon is for real and what’s a mirage?
I posed that question to several coaches and scouts across the league to get their verdict on some of Sunday’s signature moments.
Jayden Daniels vs. Cleveland Browns
Jayden Daniels is making history before our eyes.
Whether it’s proving every word of his pre-draft scouting report as prophecy by flashing plus arm-strength and deep ball accuracy on a perfectly-placed 66-yard bomb to Terry McLaurin, or his mobility on a 35-yard sprint through the heart of the Browns’ defense, Daniels is fast-tracking Washington’s transformation from rebuilding franchise to instant and legitimate contender.
Daniels is now the first quarterback to ever surpass 1,000 passing yards and over 250 rushing yards through the first five games of his career.
After completing 14-of-25 passes for 238 yards with one touchdown and one interception, along with an 82-yard rushing performance against the Browns on Sunday, Daniels now has 1,135 passing yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions, 300 rushing yards, and four rushing scores this season.
Washington has its franchise quarterback, and the scariest thing for the rest of the league to confront is that Daniels seems to be getting better each week.
Verdict: REAL. “He’s the real deal. More than anything else, he’s smart. Looks to throw, knows when to run, and he’s well coached.” - NFC Personnel Executive
Caleb Williams vs. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers have become the get-right opponent for the rest of the league through five weeks, and Caleb Williams took full advantage while seeming to take major strides in his development.
Williams’ downfield accuracy improved significantly against the Panthers, as his connection with playmaker D.J. Moore strengthened by leaps and bounds.
Finishing 20-of-29 for 304 yards with two touchdowns and scrambling five times for 34 yards, Williams mirrored the S&P 500’s unprecedented run of success by posting a new carer-high passer rating for the third consecutive week, at 126.2 against Carolina.
This was the most comfortable Williams has looked in Shane Waldron’s system and the most confident Waldron has been calling a game tailored to his Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback’s skill-set.
Granted, Sunday’s game was a glorified scrimmage against the overmatched Panthers, but this was the Bears’ offense as it was conceptualized when general manager Ryan Poles dropped Williams into an offense that included playmakers D’Andre Swift, Keenan Allen, and D.J. Moore.
VERDICT: REAL. “Got to be for real. The more he plays, the better he’ll get. He has all the tools. It’s just a matter of him believing what he’s seeing develop and letting it rip.” - NFL Offensive Coordinator
Houston Texans Outlast the Buffalo Bills
In a game between AFC titans that each have the pieces in place to pave the road to the Super Bowl on that side of the bracket, C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans flexed their championship mettle.
Stroud fired the opening salvo, a 67-yard touchdown pass when Nico Collins simply sprinted past the Bills’ secondary untouched on a go-route, only for Houston’s top receiver to depart the game with a hamstring injury suffered on the play.
Without Collins in his repertoire the rest of the way, Stroud spread the ball around to eight different receivers on his way to a 331-yard, one touchdown and one interception performance.
But, Buffalo wouldn’t go down without throwing their share of haymakers.
The Bills rattled off 17 unanswered points in the second half despite Josh Allen stumbling through the most disappointing performance of his season, which rookie Keon Coleman nearly made up for on a tightrope dashing 49-yard touchdown.
Buffalo inexplicably, though, took three deep shots down the field after taking over with :32 remaining rather than playing for overtime, only to watch Stroud complete two passes to set up Kaʻimi Fairbairn’s 59-yard game-winning field goal just seven seconds later.
Game over.
A huge test passed for Stroud and a statement victory for the AFC South-leading Texans.
Verdict: REAL. “They’re legit because of C.J. Stroud. They remind me a lot of the Bengals in Joe Burrow’s second year. They have depth at running back and wide receiver, and are adequate up front. They have a pass rush and speed on defense. This is a very good team.” - NFL Scouting Director
Baltimore Ravens Survive Cincinnati Bengals’ Best Shot
Under just slightly different circumstances, it would be easy to have confused this game as an AFC Championship Game preview, and it sure felt like a title bout.
The battery of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase did everything they could to put all of the misery of a 1-3 start in the rearview mirror in the span of one Cincinnati afternoon.
Burrow and Chase connected on 10 of 12 targets for 193 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including Chase running angry and motivated for a 70-yard catch and run for a fourth quarter score.
Burrow finished the day with 392 yards with five touchdowns to one interception, and even the porous Bengals’ defense got in on the act with Sam Hubbard stonewalling Ravens running back Derrick Henry in the shadow of Baltimore’s goalpost for a safety.
Still, as the saying goes, when you take a shot at the king, you best not miss.
All of Cincinnati’s heroics weren’t enough to take down the Ravens as Henry bulldozed another AFC powerhouse seven days after leaving Buffalo derailed and defeated in his wake last Sunday night.
In overtime, after being bottled up for much of the day, Henry broke loose for a 51-yard run to set up Justin Tucker’s 24-yard field goal in overtime.
Henry’s scamper came one snap after Bengals kicker Evan McPhearson missed a go-ahead try for the Bengals from 53 yards out, thanks to a botched hold.
Tucker split the uprights and the Ravens stamped out a third consecutive victory looking the part of Super Bowl favorites.
Verdict: VERY REAL. “I’ve only gotten to see their win over the Bills and today’s overtime, but they look dominant right now. What impresses me most is they seem to run the ball the way Derrick Henry is most comfortable running it.” - NFL Scout
Here are key takeaways and awards from a chaotic Week 5:
First Down: McKinney's Marvelous Arrival … How the Packers Found Their Defensive Anchor
The Green Bay Packers signed Xavier McKinney in hopes he would develop into the centerpiece of new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s secondary, and somehow, the former second-round pick of the New York Giants is defying even those lofty expectations.
At this rate, allowing a 25-year-old ascending talent like McKinney to walk out of the building may prove to be one of the biggest blunders in recent free agent history by the Giants and one of the most prudent and targeted moves made by a general manager of a franchise on the cusp of competing for Super Bowls that rarely dips its toes into the free agency waters.
McKinney, through five weeks, isn’t just stabilizing a defensive backfield that was among the most maligned in the league last season while navigating All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander’s absence the past two weeks, he also looks like a runaway favorite to be named First-Team All-Pro.
“Before the season, I knew what I wanted to be able to get done,” McKinney told reporters after the game. I knew in order to be able to do that, I was going to have to have a fast start.
“Everything that I haven’t gotten in the past, whether that’s the recognition, or whatever the case may be, I’m coming for all that and more.”