Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Washington’s Whirlwind of Issues

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November 7, 2025

by David Earl

Is Jayden Daniels Sophmore Slump Real?

This has become a rather controversial topic in many respects – what should be a genuine conversation turns into a heated discussion for no good reason. Aside from the armchair team evaluators who hold an extreme view of Daniels, there are legitimate concerns around Washington’s young star quarterback. As Kurt Warner stated above, Jayden Daniels is just not performing at the level was did last season. He has not shown the same anticipation on his throws, the accuracy of ball placement has certainly been erratic, and Daniels clearly is not seeing the field as fluidly as last season. The two glaring disparities are that Daniels dropped from a 60% completion percentage last year to 62.5% while his total QBR dropped from 67.7 to 51.8 this season through 6 games when compared to the 2024 season. Even his legs have not exactly been the same, averaging 6 yards per rush last season compared to 4.9 this year, while his first-down conversion rushing rate dropped from 62.8% to 53.7% this season. Teams have surely found tendencies to his game so this really should not be a surprise entering Daniels’ second season. Unfortunately, some will stop there, claiming Daniels is not the answer and make a statement like Drake Maye should have been the selection last draft. This is such a short-sighted statement and exposes you to being either biased or completely uninformed on this team.

While it is fair to say Jayden Daniels has not looked great this season, we also must be fair: the chemistry with Terry McLaurin entering this season was never reestablished as McLaurin missed all of the offseason due to a holdout for a new contract. McLaurin missing 5 of the first 9 games due to injury accompanied buy available for 2 games forced Jayden Daniels into an uncomfortable situation for a second-year quarterback. Probably the biggest loss to this offense was Austin Ekeler, who gave Daniels the security of checking down to when nothing came open down field or as the defensive pressure was getting to him quickly. Now Daniels is relying on a first-year player to Washington in Deebo Samuel, inexperienced wide receiver in Luke McCaffrey, and veteran journeyman in Chris Moore. In hindsight, allowing Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyani Brown to go in free agency has absolutely come back to haunt this offense. The struggles on offense are not isolated to  Daniels as the issues here have multiple layers which start with some of the poor decisions made by Adam Peters on offense this past offseason.

Offensive performance overall has clearly stepped back between what has already mentioned above and OC Kliff Kingsbury seemingly being more conservative in play calling. Washington’s offense is underperforming but nearly a full touchdown per game average 28.8 points per game last season to 22.3 points per game this year. Over the last 3 games they have averaged 117.7 rushing yards per game, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. This is way down from last season’s average of 149.1 yards per game and 4.8 yards per attempt. I blame much of this not necessarily on the offensive line or play calling but the lack of receiving threat, especially on explosive plays down field. Washington’s yards per completion from last season to this season were both near 10.2 yards per completion, and they rank 25th in offensive plays beyond 20 yards (21 total). This offense has just never materialized like last season – the wide receiving group has not been healthy, and the injury of Austin Ekeler compounded the issue offensively. Much like the defensive issues, blaming coaching solely is such a surface level approach and fails to look at the totality of what has happened to this team on offense.

Is There Hope This Season?

The short answer is no, as they will be lucky to win one more game but let’s break it down. For starters, Washington is hosting one of the top scoring offenses in the league, the Detroit Lions, who average 29.9 points per game, but they have dipped a bit over the past 3 weeks, averaging 21.7 points per game. Maybe the last 3 weeks for the Lions offer some hope, because they will face a defense in Washington that has allowed 26.2 points per game. Washington is also now down a starting cornerback in Marshon Lattimore – not that he’s been very good – from a secondary allowing 67.4% completion rate. Washington’s pass rush has been absolutely abysmal the last 3 games, with a 4.35% sack rate. This pass defense has allowed a 110.7 total quarter back rating and a first

Beyond the Lions game, heading into the final 4 games against divisional opponents, the Miami Dolphins present the one opportunity for a win as they enter the bye week. The Denver Broncos may only be in the middle of the pack in scoring offense, averaging 25 points per game, but their defense has been tough scoring against, having allowed 18.4 points per game. They allow 3.7 yards per rush attempt, ranking them 4th in the league. Their secondary ranks 2nd in completion rate allowed, at 56.9%, and feature the league’s best pass rush with a 11.87% sack rate.

Following the Broncos are the Minnesota Vikings, who have a top 10 pass rush at a 9.35% sack rate but are more susceptible to the pass, allowing a 68.2% completion rate.  The Vikings are ranked 16th in yards per rush attempt at 4.2 and 20th in points per game at 23.3. While Denver looks to be more than a formidable team and likely a loss, the Vikings do offer an opportunity for a win. The Vikings lack a strong run game, averaging 4.4 yards per game, and a passing game that only completing 63.1% of their passes. The best I see Washington over the next 4 games is 2-2 and entering these final 4 games against divisional opponents with a 5-8 record. They will most likely have to finish the season winning their final 4 games with 2 games against a Super Bowl favorite in the Philadelphia Eagles and one of the more explosive passing offenses in the Dallas Cowboys. If this team makes the playoffs, then Dan Quinn should get honorable mention as Coach of the Year. That said I see Washington finishing the season with a 5-12 or, if I am being optimistic, 6-11 record.

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