Jayden Daniels’ performance has taken a serious hit during the 2026 season. His repeated mistakes have raised questions about whether he is still living off the success of his rookie season and struggling to deliver the same results now.

“Jayden Daniels is 0-7-1 in his last eight games. He has more ties than he has wins. A statistical anomaly. He had as many good plays as bad plays. I didn’t say he didn’t have no good plays. He just, fourth and two, you throw the ball away,” Emmanuel Acho said on the Speakeasy podcast before continuing his criticism of Daniels and bringing Justin Herbert into the discussion.

“For as talented as Jayden is, and as talented as Herbert is, they are just both underachieving and living off of successes from their rookie year. You could say it’s disingenuous because Herbert’s rookie year was seven years ago. Jayden’s rookie year was only two years ago, but 0-7-1 in the last eight games, that’s vomit-inducing. It’s disgusting.”

Justin Herbert and Jayden Daniels both showed promise during their rookie seasons. Daniels had a strong rookie season in 2024, starting all 17 games and leading Washington to a 12-5 record. He completed 331 of 480 passes (69%) for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns, with nine interceptions. Daniels also recorded a 100.1 passer rating and a 67.7 QBR. He even gave his team its first playoff win in nearly 19 years.

Herbert, on the other hand, had an impressive rookie campaign with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he started in all 15 games in 2020 and helped his team finish with a 7-9 record.

He also completed 396 of 595 attempts with a 66.6% completion rate for 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns (all-time rookie record-holder in passing touchdowns, along with 10 interceptions. Herbert also averaged 289.1 passing yards per game.

However, their rookie success has yet to translate into a Super Bowl victory for either player’s team. At present, their inconsistent performances in the 2026 season have raised further questions about their ability to deliver results.

Daniels’ recent struggles have added to the criticism. He made two costly mistakes against the San Francisco 49ers that hurt Washington’s chances of making a comeback. With just over two minutes left, the Commanders were trailing by six points and needed to convert a fourth-down play near the 49ers’ end zone. However, the team took too long to get ready, forcing them to use their first timeout. They failed to convert the play but got another chance with 52 seconds left. However, because they had squandered their timeout on the previous possession, they had no way to halt the clock on their final drive.

Daniels then made another costly mistake with just 16 seconds left. He threw the ball away in a way that resulted in an intentional grounding penalty from the 49ers’ 28-yard line. The penalty cost Washington a down and triggered a 10-second runoff, leaving the team with almost no time to recover. The game ended on the next play after he was sacked.

After this moment, his decision-making in critical moments has drawn sharp criticism.

“Jayden Daniels makes a terrible decision throwing the ball away on 4th down. Two weeks in a row, just clueless on managing the game. Stop grinning, bro, lock in,” RotoBaller’s Frank Ammirante wrote on X.

These struggles have left the Commanders with a 1-4-1 record heading into their bye week.

Herbert’s and Daniels’ contracts highlight the different financial commitments their teams have made. Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million contract extension with the Chargers in July 2023, keeping him under contract through the 2029 season. Daniels, meanwhile, was selected second overall by the Commanders in the 2024 NFL Draft and signed a four-year rookie contract worth about $37.75 million, with the entire amount guaranteed.

However, contrary to expectations, through six games in 2026, the Commanders are at 1-4-1, while the Chargers stand winless at 0-6, with their offense struggling across the board.

With both quarterbacks facing growing scrutiny, it will be interesting to see how Herbert and Daniels respond when they return to action and whether they can turn their seasons around.