Jayden Daniels’ health was the first concern for Marcus Mariota when he came into the game for the injured rookie quarterback. After that, he just played football like he always has.
After Daniels left with a rib injury, the Washington Commanders defeated the Carolina Panthers 40-7 on Sunday, led by two touchdown passes from Mariota and a 67-yard interception return for a touchdown by Dante Fowler.
“It takes a little bit to kind of get your feet going and all that, but, yeah, you’re just thinking about the player first and then from there you just go out there and try to execute,” said Mariota, who completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards with touchdown passes to tight ends Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott.
Concerns about Daniels’ condition overshadowed the win after the No. 2 pick and offensive rookie of the year favorite left with a rib injury. His mother posted on social media that “he’s fine,” but coach Dan Quinn said he had no update and that Daniels would have further tests on Monday.
The Commanders (5-2) managed well without Daniels for most of the game after he had a 46-yard run and completed a couple of passes on their first drive.
They were already ahead thanks to Fowler’s interception return for a touchdown, which was Dalton’s first of two interceptions, with the second made by Emmanuel Forbes, who returned after being a healthy scratch last week.
After making his first interception in the NFL, Fowler saw a clear path and thought, “It’s time to go score a touchdown.”
“Man, it was like I was in a dream,” Fowler said. The defense was strong, allowing just 180 yards, stopping seven of ten third-down attempts, and sacking Dalton twice.
With Mariota in charge, Washington moved steadily and gained 421 yards against the Panthers (1-6), who have allowed the most points of any team in Super Bowl history through the first six games of a season.
“Between giving the ball away and just not being able to get off the field, I think they scored on all but one drive,” said Carolina coach Dave Canales, who announced that Dalton will start next week over 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young.
Brian Robinson Jr. also scored a touchdown in his return from a knee injury, which kept him out of last week’s game against Baltimore — the team’s first loss since the season opener. The 27-point lead at halftime was the franchise’s largest since they were up 28-0 on Dallas on December 18, 2005.
Carolina’s disappointing season continued five games into Dalton taking over as the starting QB. Dalton completed 11 of 16 passes for 93 yards, and Young came in late in the game with 4:55 left, completing two passes for negative yardage.
“It got out of our hands quick,” Dalton said. “We have to look ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘Why do these games keep going like this?’ I think that’s the biggest thing.”
Chuba Hubbard was held to 52 yards on 17 carries after averaging over 100 yards in the past four weeks. He scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, well after the game was decided, and many fans who had been doing the wave had already left to avoid traffic.
“At the end of the day, we won handily, and I think the defense did an unbelievable job,” said Terry McLaurin, Washington’s leading receiver with six catches for 98 yards.
