Commanders Can Win Super Bowl With Rookie QB, NFL Insider Says

Getty Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

If you’re an NFL fan who’s been “in the weeds” so to speak — that means loving the game to the point you’re consuming podcast about the topic — you’ve probably come across podcast host Kevin Clark.

Clark shot to fame with The Ringer and Bill Simmons and hopped over to Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions last year with the “This is Football with Kevin Clark” podcast. He’s known for a self-deprecating sense of humor and measured, reasonable takes — except when it comes to the Miami Dolphins and Aaron Rodgers — and is one of the more respected pundits working right now.

So when Clark did a rundown of teams that can realistically win the Super Bowl after the Week 7 slate of games, he had an astute breakdown of where teams are at right now.

“It’s October 21st,” Clark said on his most recent episode. “Halloween is the cutoff for ‘Are you the team you think you are?’ Unless there’s some crazy injury, a quarterback injury, your entire offensive line is out and they’re coming back, Halloween is when you should be a finished product.”

One of those “finished products” Clark listed? The Washington Commanders, who are a dark horse to win the Super Bowl and listed at +2500 odds on ESPN Bet on October 22.

Clark’s take, in this case, is centered around one of the NFL’s brightest stars in rookie quarterback and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, who has taken the league by storm and has the Commanders in first place in the NFC East with a 5-2 record headed into a Week 8 game against the Chicago Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.

“Jayden Daniels can win the Super Bowl in his first year. Why? Because if you have an elite quarterback you only need a couple of things to go right,” Clark said. “Is this an elite roster? Nope. Are there holes they probably would have plugged if they knew they were going to be this good, this early? Probably? If you’ve got a guy that can reliably hit the passes that Jayden Daniels can, you can win the Super Bowl”

Daniels Injured in Week 7 Win Over Carolina

Commanders fans got a shock to the system when Daniels went down in the first half of a 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.

Daniels seemed to injure his ribs on the first play of the game when he landed awkwardly at the end of a 47-yard run on the Commanders’ first offensive play of the game. Daniels sat out the second half but isn’t expected to miss an extended period of time. In his place, veteran backup quarterback Marcus Mariota stepped in and went 18-of-23 passing for 205 yard, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions to go with 11 carries for 34 yards.

Commanders Might Need One More Piece

The most persistent rumor surrounding the Commanders has been centered around adding another elite wide receiver to play alongside Terry McLaurin.

While the Commanders have yet to pull the trigger, there are several elite wide receivers who could be on the market ahead of the November 5 NFL trade deadline, including New York Jets wide receiver Mike Williams and Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.