LANDOVER, Md. — Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels wore a diamond-studded No. 5 on a chain around his neck as he addressed the media. For the past four weeks, teammates say he has also worn an “S” on his chest as he helped build a four-game winning streak.

“He came in like Superman,” safety Jeremy Reaves said.

And even on a day when that cape was tugged, Daniels still managed to make plays that caused teammates to go “Wow” as he helped the Commanders continue an improbable start. After a 34-13 win over Cleveland on Sunday, Washington improved to 4-1 for the first time since 2008.

“We can be a really scary team,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said.

The Commanders have already matched their win total from last season and have won consecutive games by a combined 49 points entering their Week 6 game at Baltimore.

“The vibes in here are really high,” receiver Terry McLaurin said.

It has led to some players — who have endured one storm after another during their Washington tenure — to almost pinch themselves to make sure it’s real. Many were here during the turbulent period in which there were multiple investigations into owner Dan Snyder and the culture he created. Washington hasn’t had a winning season since 2016 — only one current player, punter Tress Way, was on the roster that season. Fans abandoned hope.

It’s coming back. In droves.

Reaves, with the organization since 2018, said he told teammate Jeremy Chinn, who signed with Washington in the offseason, “I don’t even know how to process this. It’s never been like this here. I was still in middle school [in 2008].”

Or as defensive tackle Jon Allen, in his eighth season here, said of the overnight change in the organization, “It’s night and day.”

A good chunk of that difference stems from Daniels and what he has done in his first five games. He became the first player in NFL history to throw for more than 1,000 yards and rush for at least 250 in his first five games. He also set an NFL record for completion percentage in the first four games of a season (82.1).

And even when he had his least accurate day — he completed 14 of 25 passes — Daniels still made big plays. On at least three occasions, he left a Browns player pounding the ground in frustration after allowing him to turn the corner for a big run or throw.

One time, Daniels eluded a blitz from safety Grant Delpit and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah by rushing to the outside — and then connecting with receiver McLaurin for a 66-yard gain. Another time defensive end Za’Darius Smith grabbed a piece of Daniels’ jersey as he ran to the right. It was nearly a sack; instead Daniels ran away from Smith for a 2-yard again on third-and-1.

Daniels ultimately ran 11 times for 82 yards, including a 34-yarder. He connected with receiver Dyami Brown for a 41-yard touchdown.

“He’s a competitor,” running back Austin Ekeler said. “He is going to show us stuff all year that we’re going to be like, ‘Wow.’”

But one reason Washington is more excited is because on Sunday, Daniels also showed that he’s still a rookie. He tossed an interception at the goal line on one drive and was less accurate than in his first four games.

However, the defense dominated a struggling Browns offense, recording seven sacks, holding them to 212 yards and one-of-13 on third downs. In the past two weeks the defense has allowed just 27 combined points.

It adds up to a team having fun again for the first time in a long time. Players have talked about how much fun they have going to work and playing with one another. After defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. recorded a sack, center Tyler Biadasz was on the sideline mimicking his “sweeper” celebration.

“I haven’t been a part of a quote, ‘good culture,’” said Washington right guard Sam Cosmi, who’s in his fourth season with the Commanders. “Slowly but surely I see it. It’s really cool to see, to be a part of talking and acting on it. I’m excited about that.”

That energy filtered into the stands at a stadium known for often having thousands of opposing fans. Any Browns fans were drowned out Sunday.

“I can’t give any regard for the past,” Quinn said. “What I can say, I thought there was a home-field advantage created.”

Allen credited Quinn for creating an energetic atmosphere. “There’s a reason guys always follow him around the league,” he said.

But, in the end, Daniels’ performance has been almost as invigorating. Linebacker Frankie Luvu, who recovered a fumble and had 2.5 sacks Sunday, said Daniels is already at the facility when he and Wagner arrive around “5 or 6 [a.m.].”

“To see that and what he does on Sundays, it’s not shocking,” Luvu said.

The second overall pick has captivated the fans in Washington — and beyond.

“I’ve got people back home [in Florida] who never watch the Commanders that are blowing up my phone,” Reaves said. “I get more texts about him than about myself. That’s crazy. I’ve never turned on my TV and seen anything Commanders or I’m on Twitter and Commanders is trending in a good way.”

But Daniels remains unimpressed. As someone close to him said recently: He didn’t come to Washington to win games early in the season.

“I’m just excited for those guys to have this feeling,” Daniels said of the players who have been here a while. “It’s exciting times. But we have to get back to work. We’re on to the next week now.”

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is set to visit Washington on Tuesday as the United States seeks to weigh in on the scope of Israel’s anticipated retaliatory strike against Iran.

“Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action, should take a look at [our achievements] in Gaza and Beirut,” Gallant said Sunday, less than a week after Iran attacked Israel with ballistic missiles.

“We are powerful in both defense and offense, and this will be reflected in the manner of our choosing, at the time and place of our choosing,” he said as he visited the Nevatim Air Force base.

US President Joe Biden has been blunt about his opposition to an Israeli strike that would target either Iran’s oil fields or its nuclear facilities. KAN News reported on Sunday that the US had offered Israel monetary incentives to modify its attack plans.

US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew spoke of the issue at the annual Shabtai Shavit World Summit of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University on Sunday.

“What we’ve made clear publicly is that it’s important for this not to escalate [Israeli-Iranian violence] into a regional war.

“The president has made some public comments that suggest the things that we think create the greatest risk of things spiraling.

“On the other hand, we haven’t said that Israel should just tolerate having 200 ballistic missiles shot at it in a little over an hour, even if it was two hours,” Lew said as he underscored how serious those attacks were.

He cautioned that a decision to destroy Iran’s nuclear program was not a decision to make because Israel has had a successful few weeks in its military exchanges.

Khamenei speaks

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei warned Israel and the US not to respond, in a post he placed on X/Twitter.

“What our armed forces did was to inflict the minimum punishment on that usurping Zionist regime in response to its appalling crimes. It’s a bloodthirsty regime, a wolf-like regime, and the US’s rabid dog in the region.”

“The brilliant Operation True Promise 2 of our armed forces was completely legal and legitimate. And if necessary, this will be done again in the future,” he wrote.

In advance of the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, President Issac Herzog gave a rare interview to the Saudi news organization Al Arabiya in which he called on the people of the Middle East to unite in peace and for those who oppose Iran to create a military alliance against it, akin to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“We are all the children of Abraham, and I call upon the people of Lebanon, the people of Iran, the people of all of the oppressed nations in the region to rise up and understand that if we move this empire of evil, if we confront it and be tough together, we surely can hope for a better future and create a NATO-like structure in the region that blocks radicalism,” he said.

“Iran is the only country in the world who calls for the eradication of another member state of the United Nations – that’s Israel,” Herzog said.

“I saw the speech of the supreme leader. There was no message of accommodation, of extending a hand or saying, let’s move together, two great historic nations to help change the lives of people in the Middle East. Rather, you see Iran spending billions of dollars of their own citizens’ money on a huge war machine aimed at creating pain and havoc. So either we offer hope for hope, or we go for destruction. Iran offers destruction. We are offering hope,” he stated.

The United States, France, and Britain have stood behind Israel in its battle against Iran. Their armies, along with those from Israel and Jordan, took to the skies in April and again last week to defend the Jewish state against the direct strikes from Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron called on Saturday for an arms embargo against Israel with regard to offensive munition used by the IDF in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Macron in a phone conversation Sunday that an arms embargo against Israel as the IDF is fighting Iran and its proxies would only strengthen the Islamic Republic.

“Iran supports all parts of its axis of terrorism. Israel expects its friends to stand behind it and not impose restrictions that will only strengthen the Iranian axis of evil,” the Prime Minister’s Office said as it paraphrased the message Netanyahu delivered to Macron.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will be in Israel on Monday to stand in solidarity with the country as part of a regional visit he is making this week in light of heightened regional tensions.