Having Joe Burrow healthy for a full training camp suggested the Bengals might eschew the early season struggles that have plagued them under Zac Taylor. Not so. Whether it was Tee Higgins‘ injury, Ja’Marr Chase‘s post-hold-in slow start, or the changes on defense, Cincinnati once again crawled out of the gate.

If you want to consider the Super Bowl-contending Bengals the most disappointing team to open the season, you’ll have a great case. But for me, this statement is fiction.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are off to the most discouraging start. It’s not just that Doug Pederson’s squad has gotten off to an anemic beginning. It’s how they’ve performed that is genuinely a concern.

The Jags are getting destroyed in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Pressure has been in Trevor Lawrence‘s face incessantly — Monday night in Buffalo, 11 different Bills players generated at least one pressure, with five earning two or more — and the defensive line has been blown off the ball. The team’s 24.8% QB pressure rate through three weeks ranks 31st, and its five quick pressures rank dead last, per Next Gen Stats.

If, as the saying goes, NFL games are won in the trenches, it’s no wonder the Jags are epically failing.

Even when he’s not getting destroyed in the pocket, Lawrence has completed just 52.8% of his passes, the second-lowest mark in the league among QBs with at least 50 attempts this season. Lawrence’s troubles connecting with his targets in the short game have a cascading effect. The Jags can’t sustain drives and bog down in the red zone. Disaster ensues.

The Jags are a mess in a season in which their owner, Shad Khan, declared that he expects to win now. The Jags shelled out cash this offseason, not just with Lawrence’s new contract, but with the fourth-highest spending in the league in 2024. So far, it’s bought them zilch.

Given the high expectations from ownership on down, the early season toilet swirl makes the Jags the most disappointing club in my book.

Is it fair to compare a rookie quarterback after three starts to one of the most epic rookie seasons we’ve ever seen? No. Not particularly. Yet, here we are.

If we’re going to go there, let’s go there. For me, this is a fact.

It’s not just that Daniels has shown a Stroud-like ability to raise the play of everyone around him, including a still-questionable offensive line. It’s not that he drops dimes and avoids turnovers like Stroud. It’s the calmness. In the biggest moments, there is no flinching. Ice, meet veins. It’s an unteachable quality.

Whether it was the game-winning drive in the final seconds of a Week 2 victory over the Giants or the gorgeous deep shot to Terry McLaurin in Week 3, Daniels has elevated his game in the crucible of the big moments, where many rookies crumble. Reminder: Stroud’s club lost his first two starts before galloping to a playoff spot. Daniels is already ahead of that pace.

I’m not going to get into the comparison with the rest of the 2024 draft class, not after three weeks. Each man plays his own game. Daniels shining has nothing to do with another’s struggles.

Over the last two weeks, Daniels’ Commanders didn’t punt a single time. They finished every single drive with a score or a kneel. Think about all the punt-offs we witness each week. Then consider a rookie leading his team to 14 consecutive scoring drives, not including the kneel-downs. It’s insanity.

The consistency with which the Commanders have moved the ball speaks to a stellar job from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, and Daniels’ ability to make the right decision. Over three games, he’s already shown development. In Week 1, he ran a bit too much, even for his coach’s liking. In Week 2, he found his outlet more often. In Week 3, he splashed deep shots. It’s the type of weekly improvement we saw from Stroud last season.

Perhaps a quarterback shining off the bat when he had 55 college starts under his belt shouldn’t be surprising. But for an organization that has cycled through so many quarterbacks over the years, let’s hope Daniels — who takes his share of big hits — stays healthy.