The Washington Commanders enter their Week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football looking to earn an upset win against one of two opponents they’ll face this season who finished with winning records in 2023 but missed out on the postseason.

67 percent of Commanders fans came out of the team’s Week 2 win over the New York Giants feeling they’d seen impressive growth out of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Here are three other polls Washington fans voted in helping predict the result of Week 4 in Cincinnati.

With the majority of Commanders fans coming away impressed with Daniels’ performance in Week 2 it’s not surprise then they’d have high hopes – or expectations for the rookie in Week 3.

“Jayden shines under the lights and has his first 3 throwing touchdown this game,” YouTube user @jacobbarnard9504 – who may have just celebrated a birthday this month – says, and is seemingly among the 56 percent of voting fans who expect a ‘stellar performance from Daniels against the Bengals.

Another user also predicted three touchdowns and added to it that Daniels will throw zero interceptions, continuing his early streak of smart football to start his NFL career.

While Washington just recently found out it will in fact face Bengals receiver Tee Higgins on Monday night, it new Ja’Marr Chase would be on the field. The Commanders also know covering Chase is no small task.

“He has the ability to get out of his hips. Two years ago when we played them, the way we were doubling them, we actually played it too deep, one of the guys. So that’s how he beat us on one of them,” Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said this week of Chase. “The other one, he just was out quicked us. But, he has the ability to get out his heels a lot like [Las Vegas Raiders WR] Davante Adams where you’re so worried about how he can shake, so it moves you when you don’t have to move because you have leverage. You have somebody on the other side, and he has the ability to move people when they shouldn’t be moving. And that’s why he beat us two years ago in those doubles.”

Commanders fans are nearly split on who should cover Chase this Monday, with 48 percent wanting to see cornerback Benjamin St-Juste follow him, and 47 percent selecting multiple defensive backs as the answer.

One user commented, “They will need Jesus to help cover him,” but we’re pretty sure the team itself feels it doesn’t need devine intervention, just sharp football execution.

But it won’t be Chase, or even Daniels alone that secures a win for the Commanders this week.

If Washington pulls off the upset, fans are confient its going to be on the back of red zone execution.

54 percent of Commanders fans, in fact, believe red zone execution – touchdowns, not field goals – will get the job done.

To do so, the early numbers suggest a heavy dose of running backs Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler – as well as Daniels as a runner – will be needed.

In two games this season the Bengals have given up red zone touchdowns on drives that relied on running plays more than 70 percent of the time. Two other drives that relied less than 55 percent on run plays resulted in field goals.

Similarly, so far this season when Washington runs more than it passes in the red zone it converts touchdowns. Last week, in six red zone trips, the Commanders evenly split run calls and dropbacks, and the result was six field goals.

To vote and comment on future polls, go here.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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• Commanders’ Jayden Daniels Shares Thoughts on Primetime Debut

• Did Chiefs Give Commanders Blueprint vs. Bengals Ja’Marr Chase?

The Washington Commanders travel to play the Cincinnati Bengals for the second game on the Monday Night Football slate.

The Week 3 matchup will pit two former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks from LSU, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow, against each other.

USA TODAY Sports’ 2024 NFL predictions: Who makes playoffs, wins Super Bowl 59, MVP and more?

Daniels earned his first career victory after the Commanders (1-1) beat the New York Giants 21-18 last week. Daniels completed 23 of 29 pass attempts for 226 yards. Running back, Brian Robinson Jr. rushed for 133 yards on 17 carries, but it was kicker Austin Seibert who went 7-for-7 on field goal attempts to score all 21 points.

Burrow and the Bengals (0-2) will look to bounce back from a 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The quarterback completed 23 of 36 pass attempts for 258 yards and two touchdowns but the offense struggled to produce much on the ground. Running back Zack Moss had 12 carries for a team-high 34 yards.

Here’s what to know about the Bengals-Commanders Week 3 matchup on Monday:

Bengals vs. Commanders odds, moneyline, over/under

Cincinnati is favored to start the season with a win, according to the BetMGM NFL odds. Looking to wager? Check out the best mobile sports betting apps offering NFL betting promos in 2024 including the ESPN BET app and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.

Odds as of Sunday

• Spread: Bengals (-7.5)
• Moneyline: Bengals (-350); Commanders (+280)
• Over/under: 47

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Bengals vs. Commanders predictions

USA Today: Bengals 26, Commanders 20

Tyler Dragon writes “The Bengals are off to another slow start yet again. Will they be able to dig themselves out of an 0-2 hole? The good news is they get to face a rookie quarterback after going up against Patrick Mahomes and they play a poor Panthers club in Week 4. Yes, the Bengals should be 2-2 before a big Week 5 matchup against the Ravens. “

Sports Illustrated: Bengals 28, Commanders 17

Caleb Skinner writes: “While the Bengals are 0-2 and coming off a brutal loss to the Kansas City Chiefs I still think they have the better roster and team overall than the Washington Commanders. The Commanders will want to try and get after Joe Burrow as much as possible, but with the weapons he has at his disposal, I think they will be able to get away with having a below-average offensive line and score enough to come away with their first victory of the season.”

Sports Book Wire: Bengals 27, Commanders 21

This feels like a must-win for Cincinnati in the tough AFC North and there is no doubt in my mind that the Bengals (-350) win on Monday night, but Washington will keep it competitive. I’m not going to wager 3 1/2 units to win 1 and will look to the spread.

Jakub Vrana jumped onto the ice inside Capital One Arena wearing a Washington Capitals jersey on Sunday for the first time in nearly three and a half years (1,263 days). The last time Vrana dressed in Capitals red in front of a Washington home crowd came on April 8, 2021, when the Capitals fell 4-2 to the Boston Bruins.

That game came during Peter Laviolette’s first season in charge of the club, and the Capitals’ lineup featured names like Zdeno Chara, Justin Schultz, and Daniel Carr. Vrana was dealt to the Detroit Red Wings just four days later, and since then, he and the Capitals have both gone through a world of change. But Vrana’s heart has remained in DC.

“I want to be part of this team. I love this team, and it’s great to be back here for the camp and try my best to earn a spot on the team,” he said Thursday. “It means a lot, man. This team means a lot to me.”

Capitals fans gave Vrana loud applause when he was announced as part of the team’s starting lineup on Sunday. He skated with Hendrix Lapierre and Ethen Frank on Washington’s top line against the Philadelphia Flyers. Vrana was a minus-3 in the game but recorded a team-high 5 shots and six individual scoring chances in 14:18 of ice time.

Hey there, V pic.twitter.com/eQ86cnNVZk

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) September 22, 2024

Vrana’s love for the franchise that drafted him 13th overall in 2014 was evident almost immediately after he departed in the 2021 trade. “I have great memories with this team, built great relationships within this city, met great people, had great teammates, played in front of amazing fans, and that will always stay in my heart,” he penned on Instagram then.

Shoulder surgery and a well-known stint in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program led to Vrana playing just 37 games for Detroit in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons combined, so he had to wait a while to make his first return to Washington. The night finally came on February 21, 2023, nearly two years after his move.

The Capitals greeted the 2018 Stanley Cup champion with a tribute video featuring his time with the AHL’s Hershey Bears and his first NHL goal. The video ended with an image of him hosting the Cup over his head in Vegas, and fans gave the Czech winger a standing ovation.

Heading into that game, Vrana said of his time in Washington, “We were like one family here.”

i think oshie was watching the tribute 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/nATcCu08e1

— mol 🧸 (@molfully) February 22, 2023

Vrana was traded for the second time in his career just over a week later to the St. Louis Blues, scoring 10 goals in 20 games.

After the season, he came back to Washington, DC, attending a Washington Nationals game alongside Alex Ovechkin. The two reunited on the same field where they had a legendary celebration of their Cup win in June 2018.

Vrana then started the 2023-24 campaign back with the Blues but couldn’t find the same offensive success with them he did at the end of the prior season. St. Louis ultimately decided to waive Vrana in December, and he spent most of the year with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds.

With Springfield, Vrana made his first return to Hershey’s Giant Center to play the Bears six years and seven months after last dressing in Hershey’s chocolate and white. During the game’s first television timeout, the Bears honored Vrana with their own tribute video.

Vrana looked up at the jumbotron as the video played. He waved to the crowd multiple times and tapped his stick on the ice, clearly touched by the tribute.

Vrana, at the Capitals’ 2024 Training Camp on a professional tryout agreement, hopes to put his time in the AHL behind him. He has a tough journey ahead of him to win one of the few open spots on Washington’s roster, but he took the first major leap of that journey on Sunday.

Vrana has already successfully drawn the attention of Washington’s general manager, Chris Patrick. Patrick has been with the Capitals since the team drafted Vrana and was closely involved with the forward’s development as Washington’s former Director of Minor League Operations.

“You can tell he’s taking this seriously,” Patrick said. “He doesn’t think anything is being handed to him, and that was kind of the point. We want to have a competitive camp. We don’t want to just give away spots to guys, we want them to earn it. He’s in a group of several players that are in that position, fighting for one or two spots.”

Washington will have another few weeks in camp and five more preseason games to make their final roster decisions. Vrana and the Capitals fans he so clearly appreciates will be hoping he has a spot won and a new contract by the time the regular season opens on October 12 against the New Jersey Devils.