Without Jayden Daniels, Lethargic Commanders Trail Patriots, 7-0, at Halftime

Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders are getting a sneak peek at what life would look like without Jayden Daniels.

It ain't pretty.

With their star rookie quarterback and most of the starters on the sidelines and not in uniform, the Commanders are essentially punchless in their preseason finale against the New England Patriots at Commanders Field.

The Patriots lead, 7-0, at halftime.

Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in last April's NFL Draft, has enjoyed a sparkling preseason going 12 of 15 passing and rushing for a touchdown on his first series. But he and backup Marcus Mariota are sitting out Sunday night's game.

"They kind of shut me down this week," Daniels joked during a sideline interview on NBC.

Journeyman Jeff Driskel has quarterbacked Washington, with underwhelming results. The Commanders punted on their first three drives before Driskel threw an interception over the middle.

Driskel is 12 of 18 but for only 73 yards as the Commanders have mustered only 111 yards of offense.

Washington's defensive highlight was a sack on New England's first series by defensive end K.J. Henry.

The Patriots took a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter when No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye engineered an 11-play, 88-yard drive. He lofted a short pass in the flat to running back Kevin Harris, who shook the tackle of cornerback Noah Igbinoghene and scooted 18 yards for a touchdown.

Related: Commanders Trail Patriots 7-0 After Late First-Quarter Touchdown in Preseason Finale

Maye completed 5 of 6 passes on the drive, which he kept alive with a 17-yard scamper on third down. He had a long touchdown pass called back by an illegal-formation penalty.

Former Commanders' kicker Joey Slye missed a 64-yard field goal attempt on the half's final play.

The Commanders, who haven't had a winning record since 2016 and haven't won a playoff game since 2005, open the regular season Sept. 8 at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.