LANDOVER, Md. — The one-sided scoreboard, while glorious, wasn’t the main story.
The surging Washington Commanders dominated in all three phases for a 40-7 thrashing of the dismal Carolina Panthers. They continued their stretch of consistently high-effort performances, turning coach Dan Quinn’s months-long messages into the desired standard. That would be the primary takeaway any other time, just not when an injured Jayden Daniels is a bystander.
The rookie quarterback sensation exited Sunday’s game at Northwest Stadium following Washington’s first offensive drive after suffering a rib injury. Backup Marcus Mariota entered and delivered the goods as the NFC East-leading Commanders improved to 5-2, eclipsing last season’s win total with the triumph. Mariota could have flown the team to the moon and back, and worries over the franchise’s shining star would still outweigh everything else.
Before anyone starts hyperventilating, Daniels appears fine. Quinn had no official update to offer after the game other than to note that the league leader in completion percentage would undergo tests Monday. Daniels spent the remainder of the first half in the locker room but rejoined his teammates after halftime, sporting a team-colored tracksuit, wide smile and his trademark chill vibe despite any pain.
“We have no idea (about the injury status), but I think he was in good spirits,” said Mariota, a been-there, done-that mentor for the 23-year-old. “You check on him, see how he’s doing, and we’ll take it day by day.”
That step-by-step approach has worked well for Washington this season. Taking cues from Daniels, the Commanders have maintained an even-keeled mentality.
They battled back from a 30-23 loss at Super Bowl contender Baltimore last week without any sense of annoyance after losing defensive tackle Jonathan Allen for the season with a pectoral injury and fellow lineman Dorance Armstrong (rib) for at least one week.
Washington didn’t look past the Panthers (1-6), either. Instead, the Commanders won their third game this season by at least 21 points. Starting with edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr.’s 67-yard interception return for a touchdown 4:46 into the game, this one was over early. The 27-0 halftime score was Washington’s largest lead after one half since a 28-point margin against Dallas on Dec. 18, 2005.
“The central theme of our program is going to be competing,” Quinn said. “Sometimes it’s competing really against yourself to see how good you can get. And other times, like now and during this week, could we compete to get stronger, find ways to get better and acknowledge that we’ve got work to do?
“Although this game was Carolina, we made it as much about us during the week of preparation as we could. We really wanted to dig in on ourselves and find the next gear.”
DANTE FOWLER JR. PICK-6!
📺: #CARvsWAS on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/JTuzB4p55Q— NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024
Washington’s offense under coordinator Kliff Kingsbury continued executing at phenomenal rates. The Commanders outgained the Panthers 421-180 in yardage, with 214 on the ground and more than doubling Carolina in first downs (26 to 10). Such production seemed unlikely without Daniels.
Neither Quinn nor teammates could specify when the dual-threat quarterback began hurting. Daniels zoomed past defenders for a 46-yard run, only to be flipped on a clean tackle. The rookie remained in the game and had two additional carries. On his final run, wide receiver Dyami Brown recognized Daniels’ discomfort when he “did like a slow fall to the ground” at the Carolina 8-yard line rather than fight for extra yards.
Washington finished the drive with a 23-yard field goal, the first of four from kicker Austin Seibert. Daniels entered the blue medical tent on the sideline with Washington on defense. When Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton threw his second interception, this one a much-needed confidence boost for cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Daniels tried returning to the game.
The coaches saw enough even before Daniels threw practice passes. Mariota entered, and Daniels went to the locker room with the Commanders leading 10-0. He and rookie tackle Brandon Coleman (concussion) were ruled out after halftime. Daniels completed his two pass attempts for 6 yards, with another 50 yards on the ground. Injured players are unavailable for media after the game.
“I’m not going to speculate on his injury, but he’s a tough guy,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “I know he’s going to do whatever it takes to try to be ready for next week.”
Mariota, out the opening four weeks with a pectoral injury, entered the game having attempted three passes for minus-2 yards late in Washington’s 34-13 over Cleveland in Week 5. He required a few reps before finding his groove against Carolina, the NFL’s only team allowing over 30 points per game. The veteran completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdown passes, to tight ends Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott. McLaurin led Washington with six receptions for 98 yards.
“Shoutout to Marcus for coming in and being ready,” McLaurin said. “I’d expect nothing else of him. He’s been a leader since he got here. He’s helped Jayden along, and we’ve really built some camaraderie with him as well.”
The 12-yard touchdown to Ertz finished off an eight-play, 92-yard drive that began with 2:22 remaining in the first half. Washington crossed midfield after consecutive McLaurin receptions combining for 33 yards.
Closing the half out with a tuddy
📺 #CARvsWAS CBSpic.twitter.com/FGmT3yACiG
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 20, 2024
“My favorite part of the game was us (going) down and scoring in a two-minute drive. When you don’t have your starting quarterback, but you still execute at a high level, I think that’s a standard that we’ve set for our offense,” McLaurin said.
Considering they throttled Carolina from the jump, Washington’s defenders might quibble with the notion of a favorite part. The Panthers’ first points came on running back Chuba Hubbard’s 4-yard touchdown run with 11:38 remaining. Carolina’s 95 rushing yards were the fewest by any Washington opponent this year.
Coming off a two-sack game at Baltimore, Fowler defined the next-man-up ethos with his first career pick six, a sack and one tackle for loss. No Washington player reached those marks in a game since defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson in Week 8 of the 1999 season.
“I love the way we’re going,” said Fowler, a longtime player under Quinn. “That man down, next-man-up type of mentality. But just a camaraderie and a brotherhood that we got. I was just being able to … play for each other. I love this team a lot. I love the way we play for each other.”
There’s no end in sight for this feeling of brotherhood. That spirit is what Washington seeks long term. Quinn and experienced players established a “Commanders standard” before the rookies arrived: how they practice, handle a walk-through and be professionals, and so on, along with “constantly searching for improvement.” That helps explain much about this shocking surge. So does Daniels.
The Commanders won this contest without their prized rookie. That won’t be as easy should he miss time. The No. 2 pick in April’s NFL Draft represents hope for a franchise largely unfamiliar with such optimism this century.
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Sunday, Washington honored Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green with a ceremony retiring his jersey number. Arguably the greatest player in franchise history spoke to a crowd before the game about the gesture, especially since he “did not have a relationship with the team” for years before the franchise sale in 2023. The two-time Super Bowl champion reflected on his legendary career and the need to refocus on this new version of Washington.
“Let’s get together, and let’s be fans, supporters and family of the new generation of the Washington Commanders,” Green said.
The Commanders gave the ex-Washington star cornerback and others in attendance ample reason to smile, even if the main attraction primarily watched his teammates shine.
(Photo: Nick Wass / Associated Press)
