Heading into Week 6, it was completely obvious that the Washington Commanders (4-2) were facing its biggest test of the season in the Baltimore Ravens (4-2).

Despite their 0-2 start, the Ravens were still viewed by many as Super Bowl contenders, especially after they proceeded to win their next three games over the Dallas Cowboys, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Ravens made that four consecutive wins on Sunday, but it was a close game for the most part. The Ravens did pull away, 27-13, at one point in the second half, but Jayden Daniels and the Commanders offense immediately responded on their subsequent possession to make it a 27-20 game before the Ravens went on to win, 30-23. 

The game was never really in doubt for the Ravens, per se, but the Commanders certainly didn't go quietly: they continued to fight until the very end and even though they lost, it was a performance that showed they can keep up with the big dogs, to a certain extent.

Especially Daniels and the Commanders offense. The sensational rookie continued to march his offense up and down the field despite a Ravens defense that was constantly bringing pressure. What it made it even more impressive is that every time the Ravens seemed to find daylight, Daniels would instantly respond and shut whatever opening Baltimore once had.

"I loved, you know, answers," Dan Quinn told reporters after he was asked about Daniels' perseverance throughout the loss. "…  In those moments, he is really strong and really comfortable in that spot. As a team, [we] practice a lot of those situations a bunch, and it shows…
"… These are really important games for us to be in, to know this is what it's like to go and fight. And we need these environments. We need the space and [to] feel really comfortable in it. And that's… why it was important for us to be in this and having the fight all the way till the end to give us a chance at it." 

Daniels and co. marched right down the field and into field goal range to take a 3-0 lead after the game's first drive, but Baltimore responded with 10 straight points to go up, 10-3, in the second quarter. 

But, Daniels had an answer in the form of a seven-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin. It didn't stop there, either. Outside of a couple instances, one of which includes Austin Siebert's blocked field goal attempt before halftime, Daniels responded every time the Ravens put points on the board. 

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That kind of resiliency, against that kind of opponent, is just more proof that Daniels is mature beyond his years

Seriously. I think it's safe to say that very few Commanders fans -and zero players- felt out of the game at any point in time on Sunday. Even when Washington was down by two touchdowns – it always felt like there was a chance if Daniels was on the field. 

Daniels has taken full hold of the locker room and for good reason. It helps the players believe, too, which is essential for the "recalibration" that Dan Quinn and Adam Peters are undertaking. And as Daniels improves and the Commanders continue to win games, the belief will only get stronger.

"Yes, they do. I would say there's a lot of belief in him," Quinn said after he was asked if Daniels' comfort in games like Sunday is palpable amongst hist teammates. "I would say there's a lot of belief in him. And I think it came, that belief, from a lot of the work that he's done. Like, you know, we had one just Thursday in practice, you know that it was a two minute [drill] at the end of the game to go execute it. [He] scrambled, kneeled, clocked it, [and we kicked a] field goal.

"So he is in those spaces. I think that's one of his real strengths. And fortunately for us, as a young player, you wouldn't normally count on that and keep building into that spot. But because he has real command in that space, the players do have a lot of belief. I would say, yes, it does go through the roster."

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The Commanders are doing things the right way, but Daniels still needs help

The obvious help would come on the other side of the ball. The Commanders defense got back to its porous ways against the Ravens, allowing a season-high 484 total yards of offense and the most points since it allowed 33 in Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Washington has now allowed 30+ points in three of its six games on the season.

The defensive line could be a big question mark, moving forward, after the injuries to Dorance Armstrong and Jonathan Allen. Quinn said after the game he'll provide whatever updates possible on Monday. The secondary continues to be inconsistent, as well, which is obviously an issue with the potential drop-off from the injuries on the d-line.

The offensive line could also play better. The interior offensive line struggled against the Ravens and it helped lead to a season-high 16 allowed pressures, per Next Gen Stats. Daniels was also sacked three times, which now marks back-to-back weeks with that many takedowns.

Brian Robinson Jr.'s absence certainly didn't help things and it's safe to say Washington is hoping he returns soon. It was awful timing against the league's best run defense and it affected things as Commanders running backs ran the ball just 11 times and the team ran it 18 times, as a whole.

That doesn't need to happen again, unless the game script calls for it. And, the receivers need to do a better job of catching the ball after some tough drops against the Ravens.

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Daniels hung with another MVP-level quarterback, proving he can compete with the best

Daniels beat Joe Burrow back in Week 3, but the key to greatness is consistency. He may not have beaten Jackson on Sunday, but he went toe-to-toe with the two-time MVP, proving he can compete with anyone

Daniels certainly didn't take advantage of every opportunity he had against the Ravens. His overthrowing of a wide-open Noah Brown on third down is the first instance you can think of, but he should only get better as time goes on and those moments will come more often and more consistently than they already are.

No matter how you split, Daniels showed who he is and how he handles a tough loss and it's exactly how you'd want a seven-year vet to handle it, much less a rookie. That, along with the aura he brings to his teammates, are just more signs and reasons as to why his future -and the Commanders' future- is as bright as ever. Even after a tough loss.

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