The Washington Commanders return home on Sunday to host the Carolina Panthers at Northwest Stadium. After suffering a hard-fought loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week, the Commanders look to rebound with a win over the struggling Panthers.
The 1-5 Panthers benched second-year quarterback Bryce Young after the team’s 26-3 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. Veteran quarterback Andy Dalton took over in Week 3 and led the Panthers to their first (and only) win of 2024. The Panthers still have a lot to build on, though not everything can be fixed by replacing your quarterback.
The Commanders, on the other hand, have a different mindset this week: a “let’s get this done” attitude. Behind Jayden Daniels, the team is motivated. That said, there are three reasons for optimism heading into their Week 7 matchup with the Panthers.
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The Panthers are not the Ravens
Let’s be real: This Panthers’ team is not the same as the Ravens. Andy Dalton is not Lamar Jackson, and Chuba Hubbard is not Derrick Henry. The Commanders’ defense still needs some work, but the Panthers will find it much more challenging to get down the field than the Ravens did last week.
Shake off the loss that exposed the defensive weaknesses because even if the Panthers attack those weaknesses, you can be sure that Dan Quinn locked those down this week.
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Panthers have second-worst run defense
When Jayden Daniels is your quarterback, and Brian Robinson Jr. is your top running back, the ground game is a huge part of the offense. Daniels is very capable of passing the ball, but the run game has been the Commanders’ meat and potatoes this season.
Heading into Week 7, the Panthers have the second-worst run defense in the league. This bodes very well for an offense that prefers to keep the ball on the ground. The Panthers pass defense is ranked in the bottom 10 as well, so expect Daniels to rake in the yards on Sunday.
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The Commanders have the right mentality
This team has been through a lot over the last decade, not just on the field but also off the field. It’s taken some time to get the right coach in place, but Dan Quinn certainly has his players in the right mindset this season. Yes, they lost last week, but they aren’t hanging their heads. They returned to work this week to address the issues we saw and make changes.
These players walk around with their heads held high and a chip on their shoulders because everyone expects them to fall off the radar. But that hasn’t happened, and it doesn’t look like it will. Some of that is because winning promotes positive team morale, some of it is Quinn saying and doing the right things, and a lot of it is that “hold my beer and I’ll show you” attitude.
Mindset matters. Team morale matters. As long as these two things remain the same in Washington, they are well on their way to a winning season.