Commanders QB's mindset is a 'stark contrast' to his Week 14 rival

MINNEAPOLIS – The Washington Commanders are traveling north into the frigid temperatures of Minneapolis, Minnesota, to face off against the Vikings this weekend, surely happy that the game will be played inside the comfortable confines of US Bank Stadium instead of out in the cold.

While both the Commanders and Vikings will be happy for that fact, and neither team has yet to hit the five-win mark entering December football, the similarities between the teams stop there.

For Minnesota, 2025 not only feels like a lost season but a major step backwards after head coach Kevin O’Connell was named the league’s best just last year. For the Commanders, there is still plenty to play for, and even more so now that the team is finally getting as healthy as it can be expected to be after battling injuries all season long.

While quarterback Jayden Daniels returns to lead his Washington squad into battle this weekend, J.J. McCarthy is also back, but to much less fanfare in Minnesota than his counterpart is getting.

Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) and defensive tackle Warren Brinson (91) sack Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy — Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) and defensive tackle Warren Brinson (91) sack Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) on Sunday, November 23, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers defeated the Vikings 23-6. Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

'Kicked in the Face by a Donkey'

These differences can also be heard and felt in the way the two quarterbacks are talking about their NFL experiences, thus far. “I would say every single game kind of feels like you get kicked in the face by a donkey,” McCarthy said this week. “So it's kind of like, it's just like you got the whiplash, you got the headaches and all that.”

A Lesson in Passion

While the Minnesota quarterback is learning about the hard-hitting nature of the game at the pro level, Daniels has learned something else during his similarly frustrating second season.

“The passion I have for this game is what I learned more,” Daniels shared this week. “[When] something that's taken away from you, you kind of take it for granted. So, at that moment that's, that's kind of what was going through my mind. And I really want to go back out there, and I was more so miserable I can't play because I've been playing football my whole life, and as a competitor, I want to be out there.”

While Daniels was rehabbing to get back on the field he was supporting his teammates, happy to see fellow quarterback Marcus Mariota keeping his team in the fight despite losing all three games.

For McCarthy and O’Connell, they were just trying to figure out how to move forward without causing any more damage in 2025 than there already has been. Early in the week, it sounded like the coach was resigned to needing to stop coaching, in a sense, so that his quarterback could be less burdened while trying to get up to speed in the NFL.

“I'm definitely a natural overthinker. So, the way, and it's not against them, I need to do a better job of compartmentalizing those coaching points and realizing when it's game time, it's time to let it loose and not focus on that,” McCarthy admitted.

“You have to be super witty and think on the fly and react, and the paralysis by analysis kind of shows up sometimes, and it's good to feel those experiences and know how to bounce back from 'em. I was just so focused on doing every rep perfectly and making sure every little detail was crossed and checked off.”

That overthinking isn’t something that has gotten in Daniels’ way as much. In fact, plenty of folks wish he’d think a little more, at least when it comes to erring on the side of caution in deciding when to take physical risks and when not to. It’s something Daniels also admitted he’s got to work on, continue to work on, and something that may never be something he needs to be aware of as he balances the natural desire to compete with the need to protect himself for his and the franchise’s sake.

Oct 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) celebrates after a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

'Above-the-Neck Smart'

From the sounds of it, it sounds like O’Connell would much rather be dealing with those ‘issues’ than the ones he’s currently got with McCarthy.

Sharing that he’s been studying the Commanders’ quarterback since his days at Arizona State, O’Connell raved about Daniels when asked about him leading into the game. “I think he's above-the-neck smart, cerebral, totally in complete poise. It seems like every snap, regardless of whether it's a playoff game last year or his first start, going back to the beginning of last year. The growth from one year to the other was phenomenal, and that's saying something, because he was a really good player the previous year.”

McCarthy is looking to avoid getting kicked by another donkey this weekend, while Daniels is looking to scratch the itch he’s had to get back on the field. Neither team has won five games, and each is near the bottom of their division, but make no mistake about it, when it comes to Minnesota and Washington, these two teams couldn’t be any more different if they tried.

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