The Washington Commanders can exhale and breathe a sigh of relief.
Commanders’ rookie superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels exited Washington’s 40-7 blowout win over the Carolina Panthers early on Sunday afternoon with a rib injury.
While he did not return, backup and former second overall pick in the 2015 draft, Marcus Mariota stepped in admirably and had no issue finishing the game and leading the Commanders to the win.
“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.
Daniels left in the first quarter after taking a couple of brutal shots while running with the ball on Washington’s opening drive, which set up a field goal to put the Commanders up 10-0. The defense started the game on the right foot with a pick 6.
Daniels clutched his ribs in obvious pain while getting up after a tackle. He was in discomfort on the sideline working with athletic trainers.
After attempting to throw the ball for a while on the sideline, Daniels left for the locker room. He slammed his helmet down to the ground hard in frustration as he walked off the field at Northwest Stadium.
The Commanders initially said Daniels was questionable to return with a rib injury, and then they ruled him out for the rest of the game just after halftime. Specifics details of his injury are not known.
Coach Dan Quinn said only that he had no update and that Daniels would undergo further tests Monday.
Daniels’ mom provided a promising update on social media midway through the second quarter. Daniels showed great leadership by being there for his teammates and was in street clothes on the sideline in the second half.
Daniels went 2-of-2 for 6 yards through the air, and he had three carries for 50 yards on the ground.
Daniels has taken the NFL by storm and dominated this season, his first in the league after his Heisman Trophy campaign with the LSU Tigers last fall. The rookie entered Sunday’s game with gaudy statistics, 1,404 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions while leading the Commanders to a 4-2 start. He has thrown for at least 230 yards in every game except for his NFL debut, and he mounted a four-game win streak before last week’s 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Daniels went 24-of-35 for 269 yards with two touchdowns in that defeat.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhile Mariota struggled on his first drive as he got his feet wet and knocked the rust off, the Commanders went three-and-out, but then he bounced back, leading a five-play, 59-yard touchdown drive on his second series to extend Washington’s lead to 17. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. carried that drive with four runs, including his 8-yard touchdown that came after Noah Brown drew a pass interference call to put the Commanders in scoring position. By that point, the Commanders were fully committed to their ground game and had 118 of their 120 yards on the ground.
Mariota finished the contest throwing 18-of-23 for 205 yards with two touchdowns in the 33-point win. He connected with tight end Zach Ertz for a 12-yard touchdown just before halftime, which gave the Commanders a 27-0 lead at the break, and then found Ben Sinnott for a 3-yard score in the third quarter.
Robinson finished with 71 yards and a score on his 12 carries, and ‘Scary’ Terry McLaurin had 98 receiving yards on six catches on six targets.
Quarterback Andy Dalton finished the game throwing 11-of-16 for a putrid 93 yards and two picks in the loss for the Panthers, who have suffered four straight defeats with no end in sight and dropped to 1-6 on the season. He was briefly replaced by Bryce Young late in the fourth quarter, despite taking the starting job from Young earlier this season. Chuba Hubbard led Carolina on the ground with 52 rushing yards, and he scored the Panthers’ lone touchdown.
“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.”
The Panthers travel to the ‘Mile High’ city to face Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos next Sunday.
The Commanders, who now sit at 5-2 this season at first place in the NFC East, will host the 4-2 Chicago Bears and the No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams next week on Sunday, October 27th.
