Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt said he had no regrets about calling out rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders offense. However, after Daniels and Commanders hung 38 points on Taylor-Britt and the Bengals defense, Taylor-Britt admitted he has to eat his own words.
“They don’t make him do a lot,” Taylor-Britt proclaimed last week. “They keep it really simple for him, nice college offense.”
Those words were echoed throughout the evening before, during, and after the game. His comment was laminated when he got beat by Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a 55-yard gain in the second quarter that set up the third score for Washington — a Jayden Daniels rushing score.
The Commanders scored all three of their first-half touchdowns on the ground. Running backs Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson also scored.
In the second half, Daniels took over with his arm. He threw his first NFL touchdown to reserve offensive lineman Trent Scott in the third quarter. Then, needing to put the game away, Daniels stood tall against a zero blitz to find McLaurin near the corner of the end zone for the dagger touchdown in Washington’s 38-33 win.
Jayden Daniels completed 21-of-23 passes. The 91.8% was the highest completion percentage in a single game by a rookie in NFL history. He totaled 254 yards in the air and finished with a 141.7 QB rating.
“No ma’am, I didn’t regret it, and I didn’t mean anything malicious out of the comment. It was made bigger of than what it was,” Taylor-Britt said after the Bengals’ loss. “Yes, I can eat my words, most definitely. We did take an L today as a team.”
Taylor-Britt ate humble pie as the Bengals, the Monday Night Football viewing, and the rest of the NFL took notice of Jayden Daniels. The Commanders improved to 2-1 with its second straight win. Meanwhile, the Bengals fell to 0-3. Each defeat was a one-score loss.
Yet, Taylor-Britt doubled on his earlier comments that Washington ran a college offense.
“It was sort of a college offense — very quick throws,” Taylor-Britt continued. “[Jayden Daniels was] athletic the way he extends plays. And that’s how the game went. They stuck to their plan.”
One can debate the perception of the Commanders’ offense with Daniels under center. However, it was clear Taylor-Britt and his Bengals defensive teammates had no answer for it.
Washington converted five of nine third-down opportunities. That included Daniels game-sealing touchdown throw to McLaurin against a Bengals’ zero blitz. The Commanders also converted all three fourth-down attempts, including a crucial 4th-and-4 in the fourth quarter that led to the game-sealing TD.
Taylor-Britt has made his mark by speaking his mind before games. He called out Kansas City Chiefs rookie receiver Xavier Worthy the week before. Sometimes, he’s backed up his mouth on the field. Monday night against the Washington Commanders, he did not.
