Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy Are Trending in Different Directions Ahead of Week 10 Showdown

Two members of the 2024 quarterback class will face off when the Commanders and Giants meet on Thursday night. Both have plenty at stake.

J.J. McCarthy will take the stage in prime time since being traded to the Giants. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Three weeks after Caleb Williams and Drake Maye faced off on Thursday Night Football, another battle between members of the 2024 rookie quarterback class will get underway on a Thursday when J.J. McCarthy takes on Jayden Daniels.

This will mark the second meeting between Daniels and McCarthy as starters after they met when the Commanders and Vikings faced off last season, a game which saw Minnesota shut out Washington in a 31–0 win. 

While Daniels and McCarthy are part of the same quarterback class, their careers could not have started more differently. Daniels was the best player in the 2024 quarterback class as a rookie, leading the Commanders to the NFC championship game while winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. McCarthy, meanwhile, missed the entire season with a torn meniscus while his then teammate, Sam Darnold, led the Vikings to the playoffs.

Two years later, Daniels and McCarthy are in much different places than they were as rookies, with McCarthy even on a new team in the Giants. Once again, though, they appear to be trending in different directions in transitional years.

Commanders are nearing a crossroads in Daniels’s third season

Jayden Daniels is still looking to replicate the success he had as a rookie. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Daniels came into 2026 ready to reset after missing 10 games due to injury last season. The Commanders were also in reset mode. They kept head coach Dan Quinn in place, but swapped out both coordinators. On Daniels’s side of the ball, they promoted David Blough to become their new OC and implement a more traditional, under-center style of offense—a significant change after primarily running a no-huddle, shotgun offense under Kliff Kingsbury. They also made numerous roster changes, primarily on the defensive side of the ball as they looked to improve one of the worst-ranked defenses in the NFL during the 2025 campaign.

The new offense has brought mixed results. There are times that Daniels and the offense are in rhythm, such as in the first half of their game against the Rams, when they got out to a 10–6 halftime lead. At other times, they struggle to move the ball at all, such as in the second half or their loss to the Rams, when they couldn’t muster a single first down in the third quarter.

The Commanders’ offense ranks 20th in yards per game (325.4) and passing yards per game (207.4), 21st in points per game (21) and 22nd in EPA per play (-0.08). They are undermanned due to injuries to their best offensive lineman, Laremy Tunsil, and receiver, Terry McLaurin, but also aren’t fully playing up to their potential. 

Aside from some game management miscues, Daniels is still playing well, even if he’s not quite lifting the team the way he did as a rookie.

While McCarthy has changed teams and other quarterbacks from the class saw their teams undergo coaching changes early on (Michael Penix Jr., Caleb Williams and Drake Maye), Daniels could be facing that fate in Year 4 if the Commanders move on from Quinn.

The Commanders have their quarterback in Daniels, but with low playoff hopes (a win Thursday would draw them to two games behind the Giants in the NFC East, while the wild-card field is crowded) and a franchise still figuring out how to properly build around him, his career is at an odd standstill. He is not trending downward, but he has also not built off that wondrous rookie campaign. 

McCarthy is on the right track after arriving in New York

J.J. McCarthy has fit in well with the Giants so far. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After spending his rookie year on the sideline, McCarthy entered 2025 as the Vikings’ starter. His performance was mixed. On one hand, the Vikings had a winning record with him at the helm and he was improving over the second half of the season. On the other hand, he was wildly inconsistent and often inaccurate, causing the Vikings to look elsewhere at quarterback last offseason and sign Kyler Murray. Murray won the starting quarterback job this summer and Carson Wentz was named the backup, so Minnesota traded McCarthy to the Giants for a fifth-round pick after Week 3.

Once he arrived in New York, he sat nearly three games behind Jameis Winston, before the Giants benched Winston for McCarthy in the second half of their loss to the Saints. McCarthy impressed by throwing for 243 yards in the fourth quarter. He was then named the starter for their matchup against the Texans. He has gone 2–0 as a starter, and completed 63.2% of his passes for 622 yards, one touchdown and one interception over his brief Giants tenure. 

For McCarthy, his career is trending upward at the highest rate since he made his preseason debut as a rookie before tearing his meniscus. He still has plenty more to do to prove himself, but so far with the Giants, he’s finally trending in a positive direction and even receiving praise for his play on the field after making several impressive throws to playmakers Malik Nabers, Isaiah Likely and Malachi Fields.

What this game could mean for both QBs

This game is McCarthy’s first in prime time since he was traded to the Giants. While there has already been a lot of attention on his play in New York thus far, this game gives him the chance to make a statement in front of a national audience. If he leads the Giants to a win, he will also be able to cement their standing in the NFC East and keep them on track for a playoff berth, something that would be a major accomplishment for both McCarthy and the Giants. 

For Daniels and the Commanders, this game could be a final test of where this team is headed this season. Can Daniels and the offense find a consistent rhythm and keep the Commanders’ slim hopes alive in the NFC East? Or will this game serve as another reminder that Daniels needs more help around him to succeed? The pressure is not necessarily on Daniels, but for the Commanders to show which direction this team is headed with him at the center of the fold. 

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