LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Jayden Daniels threw two of his three touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin and also scored one rushing, and the Washington Commanders got their groove back by beating the Tennessee Titans 42-19 on Sunday to end their losing streak at three.
Daniels completed 25 of 30 passes for 206 yards and the TD passes to McLaurin and Zach Ertz, offsetting his interception and bolstering his status as favorite for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. Brian Robinson Jr. returned from a sprained ankle to run for 103 yards and a TD, and the defense and special teams each forced a fumble in a game the Commanders (8-5) had well in hand before halftime.
The bounce back from defeats to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Dallas keeps Washington solidly in a playoff spot at its long-awaited bye week. It was made possible by the offense returning to elite, early season form following a series of questions about Daniels and coordinator Kliff Kingsbury that mounted during the skid.
The Commanders went nine of 14 on third down and went up 28-0 just over 19 minutes into the game — the fastest lead by that margin since Baltimore did it in 16:11 against Miami in 2019. Washington scored 21 points in the first quarter for the first time since 2015.
Tennessee (3-9) didn’t score until Will Levis’ 27-yard TD pass to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine late in the second quarter, and the two connected on another with seven minutes remaining in the fourth.
The Titans for much of the first half had more yards in penalties than on offense and were unable to climb out of a deep hole. The loss puts to rest any talk of a long-shot playoff bid created by their upset victory at Houston last week.
Love for Luvu
Frankie Luvu tormented Levis early and often, hitting him on one third down play and tipping a pass on another. His sack of Levis in the second quarter gave him eight this season, setting a career high.
Luvu has perhaps been first-year general manager Adam Peters’ best free agent signing. The other candidate for that, fellow linebacker Bobby Wagner, joined London Fletcher as the only players in NFL history to make 100-plus tackles in 13 consecutive seasons.
Injuries
Titans: CB Roger McCreary injured a shoulder late in the third quarter while tackling Robinson.
Commanders: WR Noah Brown left with a rib injury. … CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) missed a fourth consecutive game and still hasn’t played since Washington acquired him at the trade deadline.
Up next
Titans: Host Jacksonville next Sunday.
Commanders: Visit New Orleans on Dec. 15 coming out of their bye week.
