With Daniels’ dual-threat skillset on display throughout the match, it was equally his decision-making and maturity that shone. In the big moments on a bright stage, he didn’t wither, he grew and rose to the occasion.

“He’s a really cool guy and he’s got a really confident attitude,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said. “When we came in, we knew how important the ball was and how to make decisions. We just couldn’t give them short fields and chances to go. So, his ability to know when to do it and when not to do it, when to make a play with his legs, we’ve seen that a lot in practice and now it’s carrying over into the games where the decision-making, sliding, going, taking your shot, I thought he did a really strong job tonight.”

It was a performance that was not only applauded by the Commanders.

“He’s a hell of a player, I’m not gonna lie,” said Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, an LSU product like Daniels. “That was the first time I sat next to him in the spring game and watched him. He’s a hell of a player.”

While it was only one game, it was a continuation of what had already been a promising start for Daniels after strong performances against the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he completed over 70% of his passes, threw no interceptions and quickly scored two goals.

“He continues to grow at his job,” Quinn said. “And that’s part of him and all of his teammates who are the freshmen guys growing and learning, when to extend a play, when to get down, when to use their legs. A couple days ago I said, ‘What did you learn in the first two games?’ And it happened again tonight.”

Daniels described Paycor Stadium with historical footnotes.

His 91.3 percent pass completion rate was the highest in a game for a rookie in history, according to NFL Research. Since 2000, Daniels is the only rookie QB, along with Dak Prescott and Justin Herbert, to lead both rushing and passing in a prime-time game. And no player since at least 1950 has ever thrown for 250 yards, scored multiple touchdowns, rushed for a TD and completed 90 percent of his passes until Daniels did it Monday, according to NFL Research.

While the night provided a long list of firsts for Daniels, he wasn’t too shocked by what he was able to accomplish. That, he explained, comes from preparation.

“Yes and no,” Daniels said when asked if he was surprised by his rapid success. “Yes, because it’s obviously something new for me, as I continue this journey in my rookie year. But I’ve also worked hard at it, and what’s done in the dark always comes to light. I just know that I’m prepared for these moments, week in and week out. I just have to go out there, play football and execute.”

Through his first two games, Daniels still hadn’t thrown his first TD pass, but that also came with historic flair when he connected on a 1-yard score with offensive lineman Trent Scott in the third quarter. Not since J.P. Losman connected with Jason Peters on September 11, 2005 has a rookie first-round QB thrown his first touchdown pass to an offensive lineman, and Daniels is the first top-five selection to do so.

It was Daniels’ second touchdown, a 27-yard pass to Terry McLaurin, that was easily the most impressive. With the Bengals now cutting the score to 31-26 after the Commanders had taken a 28-13 lead on Scott’s score, Washington threatened to spoil Daniels’ sensational night. So, on third-and-7 with 2:15 to play, Daniels and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury played it safe and went for the jugular. Daniels, smiling on a pass rush, welcomed a hit and threw a beautiful ball that McLaurin converted into a brilliant catch.

On a fantastic evening, Daniels showed his composure in the decisive phase, his tenacity and his accuracy – all in one game.

“They put in the time, and if they hadn’t put in the time, you wouldn’t have had the confidence to get in that space,” Quinn said. “But with all the work they’ve done, we obviously didn’t connect on some of the deep balls to Terry in the first two games, but we knew that wasn’t going to be the case going forward. So when we had our opportunities and our moments to go, it was just a really good ball and a great catch by Terry.”

Washington is now 2-1 on the season and is feeling good about 2024. As for their quarterback, the Commanders are pretty excited about 2024 and beyond.

For a franchise whose seemingly endless QB carousel long ago went off the rails, this was the kind of star-making display Washington was hoping for. Daniels became Washington’s eighth Week 1 starting quarterback in as many seasons when he made his debut this year. After a brilliant 60 minutes on Monday night, the Commanders might feel like they’ve truly found a quarterback to pin their hopes on for the foreseeable future.