LANDOVER, Md. — Marcus Mariota replaced injured rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels early in the second quarter, Dante Fowler returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown and the Washington Commanders routed the Carolina Panthers 40-7 on Sunday.
Concern over Daniels’ status overshadowed the victory 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,†and, given the lopsided score, it would have been more surprising if Daniels returned, and the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner spent the second half on the bench chatting and laughing with teammates.
The Commanders did just fine without him for a vast majority of the game after he had a 46-yard run and completed a couple of passes on their opening possession. They already led at that point thanks to Fowler’s pick-6, Andy Dalton’s first of two interceptions, the second by Emmanuel Forbes, who returned from being a healthy scratch last week.