It didn’t take long for Washington Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota to get into a rhythm after Jayden Daniels left the game with a rib injury in the first quarter. Once Mariota and the Commanders found their rhythm on offense the team crushed the Carolina Panthers 40 – 7 at Northwest Stadium to stay atop the NFC East with a 5-2 record.
The Commanders had a test this week and they easily passed it. The Panthers entered the game at 1-5, one of the most—if not the most–mediocre teams in the NFL. The Commanders had a line favoring the team by 6.5 points at the beginning of the week and it moved up three points to 9.5 points by game time. Apparently, bettors recognized the mismatch. However, Commanders players and coaches understand that on any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team.
To that point, the Commanders team had to keep up the intensity as if they were playing the Baltimore Ravens the previous week but the phrase, “On any given day,” is a timeless phrase in NFL cultural literacy for a reason. After running for 46 yards on the first offensive drive that would lead to a field goal to make the score 10-0, the Commanders phenom rookie quarterback Daniels had to leave the game with a rib injury. Daniels slammed his helmet and walked to the locker room.
At first, it looked like the Commanders defense was still in M&T Bank Stadium until Donte Fowler, Jr., moved in front of Panthers running back Miles Sanders and picked off an errant short pass by journeyman quarterback Andy Dalton. Fowler ran it back 67 yards for a pick-six touchdown. Later, Emanuel Forbes would intercept another Dalton pass.
The Commanders defense was exposing the Panthers offense for all their weaknesses. The Commanders hit harder, they made fewer mistakes as they have all season and the Commanders were more in synch on offense, too, even without their first-string quarterback.
Astute general manager Adam Peters found former Heisman Trophy winner quarterback Mariota in the off-season and brought him to the club at an affordable price. Mariota apparently fit into the Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and as a backup to Daniels, Mariota entered the game, ran the ball, handed the ball off to power runner Brian Robinson, Jr., for an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter and kept the Panthers defense off balance as he would scramble to set up the pass.
Mariota completed his first 12 passes ending the day with 18 completions on 23 attempts, 205 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He ran for 34 yards and brought the Commanders into halftime with a 27-0 lead following two Austin Seibert field goals and a 12-yard TD pass to veteran tight end Zach Ertz with 10 seconds remaining in the half. At halftime, the organization retired Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green’s number 28, and as the second half started, Daniels walked out of the locker room in street clothes but he smiled, showed the peace sign and basically reported to the fans that he didn’t have a major injury.
Fortunately, Mariota and the offense had already found their tempo. Mariota connected with rookie tight end Ben Sinnott for Sinnot’s first NFL touchdown of his career. The defense continued to shut out the Panthers, Seibert continued to add to the rout for a 37-0 lead by the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter at Northwest Stadium, the Commanders team that has exceeded expectations this season, routed the Panthers—as expected. A prevent defense gave up a TD to the Panthers but Mariota scrambled, found open receivers, stood behind an overachieving offensive line made few if any mistakes and the offense added another Seibert field goal. It was the third blowout victory for the Commanders this season and good teams blowout teams they should blow out.
As a Washington football fan for 50 years, Northwest Stadium seemed to have that certain look and feel from yesteryear. That was a time when the national game announcers like Pat Summerall and John Madden covered their games. Today, the names are Jim Nantz and Tony Romo for CBS and Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady who will be doing next Sunday’s Chicago Bears 4:25 p.m. Fox flex game at Northwest Stadium. Back then, the stadium had a different name and the team even had a different name.
But a winning football team, by any other name, still looks and feels so sweet.
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