The Washington Commanders needed a game to wash the stink off from the loss to the Ravens, and the Carolina Panthers were teed up for an absolute beatdown. Jayden Daniels was injured on his first play from scrimmage, a 46-yard run, and didn’t return after that drive ended in a field goal. Marcus Mariota got the rust off early, and finished the 40-7 victory.
That win showed a lot about the team, and the coaching staff, as they kept their top offense rolling, and the defense almost pitched a shut out. Jayden Daniels is week to week with a rib injury, but Dan Quinn said the team is hopeful that he’ll be able to play on Sunday when Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears come to town.
Washington is now 5-2, and they still have sole possession of first place in the NFC East. FanDuel had them at 6 1⁄2 wins before the season started, and a win over the Bears would get them half a game from that total…after eight weeks. The national opinion of the Commanders has been on a skyrocket upwards with the rise of Jayden Daniels, and hopefully that trend continues, even if he has to miss a little bit of time.
High: 5
Low: 14
Average: 9.5
#5
Fox Sports(Brooks)
Jayden Daniels is already a superstar, but the Commanders are more than a one-man show. Dan Quinn has built a well-rounded team that can win by playing complementary football without its star player on the field, which we saw on Sunday when Daniels left early with a rib injury. Relying on a veteran-laden defense and an underrated running game, the Commanders are quietly climbing the charts as a playoff contender. Last week: 6
Clutch Points(Johrendt)
This was probably the easiest win that the Washington Commanders will have all season, as they easily handed the Carolina Panthers a 40-7 loss. Their easy win is overshadowed a bit by the injury suffered by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who left this win early with a rib injury.
While he did return to the sidelines for the rest of the game, there are still some questions about his health going forward. Marcus Mariota looked good in Daniels’ stead, throwing for 205 yards and two scores, but Daniels is this offense, so keep an eye on him moving forward. Last week: 7
#6
Sports Illustrated(Orr)
Here’s something neat: If you lower the bar to a 40-rep minimum, the two best quarterbacks in the NFL in terms of advanced statistics (a composite of Expected Points Added and Completion Percentage Over Expectation) are Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota. Mariota has the benefit of whipping the Carolina Panthers, of course, but the bottom line is that Kliff Kingsbury is cooking right now. Some inside the industry believe he could throttle himself right back into a head coaching seat after this year if the pace holds. Last week: 6
#7
NFL.com(Edholm)
The rib injury to Jayden Daniels was the only thing to mar Sunday’s thrashing of the Panthers, but if the Commanders have to play without Daniels for any length of time, Marcus Mariota’s performance in Daniels’ place was reassuring. After starting the game 0-for-3, Mariota hit 15 of his next 16 pass attempts, including 11 straight at one point. Washington scored on six straight drives with Mariota at QB; that’s impressive even against Carolina and even with a few red-zone opportunities missed. The Commanders’ defense did its part with another impressive performance, picking off Andy Dalton twice, including one run back for a score, and held Carolina to seven garbage-time points. If Daniels can’t go against the Bears next week, Mariota’s challenge will be much steeper, but the Commanders are showing they’re no one-trick ponies. Last week: 8
Fox Sports(Helman)
Hopefully, Jayden Daniels’ rib injury doesn’t keep him out too long, but it did teach us something interesting about the Commanders. Obviously, Carolina is a bad team. But it still matters that Washington lost its star quarterback in the opening minutes and still managed to cruise to a 40-7 win. Even against a bad team, a lesser group might have struggled. Last week: 8
Pro Football Talk
The Bears will be seeing a second overall pick on Sunday, but perhaps not the one they expected to see. Last week: 7
NumberFire
Last week: 14
#8
The Athletic(Kendall)
Who have they beaten? Giants, Bengals, Cardinals, Browns, Panthers
The DMV area got a distraction from the election cycle Monday as everyone waited breathlessly for an update on Jayden Daniels’ injured ribs. Coach Dan Quinn said the rookie quarterback is “week to week” but could play as soon as this week. We speak for everyone in the league, save maybe Eagles and Cowboys fans, when we say, “Whew.” The knock on the Commanders is that Washington hasn’t beaten a team with a winning record this season, and its five wins are over teams averaging 1.8 wins. How about Marcus Mariota, though? The veteran had a 132.8 passer rating after spelling Daniels on Sunday. Last week: 6
Yahoo Sports(Schwab)
It’s hard to have any takeaways from Sunday’s win because it came against the Panthers, the NFL’s version of the junior varsity. The main thing coming out of the game is the hope that Jayden Daniels isn’t going to miss any games with a rib injury. Last week: 10
The 33rd Team(Mosher)
The sign of a good team is if you can win despite injuries. And the Washington Commanders showed that in Week 7, dominating the Panthers despite Jayden Daniels (ribs) leaving early.
That game was over before halftime, and Marcus Mariota did a fantastic job keeping things moving on offense. The Commanders are 5-2 and are one of the biggest surprises in the NFL. It’s time to start considering them a serious threat in the NFC. Last week: 10
New York Post(Dunleavy)
Despite losing rookie sensation quarterback Jayden Daniels after he had one big run and two pass attempts in the first quarter, the Commanders pounded the Panders, 40-7, behind Marcus Mariota. The journeyman quarterback threw for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Dante Fowler’s 67-yard interception return touchdown started the scoring on the way to building a 37-0 lead. Last week: 10
The Score
The Commanders blew out the Panthers despite Jayden Daniels leaving the game in the first quarter with a rib injury. Daniels’ ailment reportedly isn’t long term, though. If he continues to play at a high level, the Commanders – whose offense ranks first in EPA/play – will be a threat in the NFC. Last week: 10
Pro Football Network(Rolfe)
The Washington Commanders have been one of the most exciting parts of the 2024 season, with their offense ranking second this year. If the season ended today, this would be the fifth-best offensive performance since the start of the 2019 season. They are tied for first in points scored per game with the Ravens (31.14) and overcame the early loss of Jayden Daniels to sweep aside the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.
Unfortunately, not everything is bright and beautiful for the Commanders, who rank 26th defensively. The performances are trending in the right direction, allowing fewer than 15 points in three of the last four games. Yet, two of them came against two of the worst offenses in the league (Cleveland Browns and Panthers). Additionally, Washington has faced the third-easiest schedule to this point.
Daniels’ health will be key. Things don’t get significantly harder, but Marcus Mariota is likely not going to be the player to lead the Commanders through tight spots. The NFC East is there for the taking in 2024, but Washington’s offense will have to overcome its defensive frailties. Last week: 9
Bleeding Green Nation(Gowton)
Kudos to the Commanders for stomping an obviously inept Carolina team. Washington owns the NFL’s best point differential at +66. Jayden Daniels’ injury has the potential to prove troublesome, though. Last week: 8
Sharp Football Analysis
Last week: 9
#9
ESPN
Young riser: CB Mike Sainristil
Washington picked rookie Sainristil, who turned 24 earlier this month, in the second round as a nickel corner, and he became an immediate starter. He’s listed at 5-foot-10, 182 pounds but plays bigger than his size. Because of issues at corner with Emmanuel Forbes Jr., the Commanders moved Sainristil outside — acknowledging he’s better inside, but they needed him elsewhere. Earlier this season, coach Dan Quinn called him a “rare competitor” and a leader — not only for the other rookies but also for the other defensive backs. — John Keim Last week: 9
CBS Sports(Prisco)
The injury to Jayden Daniels is concerning, but Marcus Mariota came off the bench to play well. He will be fine in any short-term situation. Last week: 12
Sporting News(Iyer)
The Commanders can breathe easy about Jayden Daniels and the injury to his ribs for two reasons: They still blew out the Panthers with Marcus Mariota, and they got their rookie QB some key rest before a big Bears matchup. Last week: 9
Bleacher Report(Davenport)
It’s rare for a team to drop a 40-burger on an opponent in a blowout win and leave its fanbase feeling queasy. But until Jayden Daniels is off the sideline and back under center, Commanders fans are going to be nervous about the young quarterback.
Daniels left Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers with a rib injury. He went to the locker room for X-rays and then spent the rest of the game chatting with teammates on the bench.
Head coach Dan Quinn told the media afterward that Daniels would have more tests Monday, but he wasn’t interested in discussing the electric rookie’s status for Sunday’s battle with the 4-2 Chicago Bears.
“We warmed him up, he threw some, we took him to the tent and the next step was, ‘We’re going to take you inside and get images there,’” Quinn said. “And he’ll do some more images tomorrow. We won’t put (Daniels) or any other guys into a space where they could jeopardize something. I don’t have any information medically, so please don’t speculate on that.”
Given how well backup Marcus Mariota played against Carolina, the smart money would be on Daniels getting a week to rest if the Commanders weren’t facing the Chicago Bears and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
But with the Eagles right on the heels of the surprising Commanders in the NFC East, Quinn and the team has a tricky situation to navigate in the week to come. Last week: 10
NFL Trade Rumors(Woodie)
The entire city of Washington held their collective breath when rookie sensation Jayden Daniels left the game with a rib injury, but backup Marcus Mariota stepped right in under center and kept this offense cooking. Mariota hadn’t looked this good since some of his early days in Tennessee. Last week: 11
WalterFootball
I want to say that Marcus Mariota saved the day by beating the Panthers, but let’s face it: The Redskins could’ve gotten a drunk fan out of the stands, and he would have led the team to victory over the absolutely pathetic Panthers. Last week: 9
Odds Shark
Last week: 9
#10
USA Today(Davis)
Though it was certainly boosted by Sunday’s rout of Carolina, you might be surprised to learn that Washington’s +66 point differential paces the league. But that obviously won’t be easy to maintain if rookie QB Jayden Daniels misses starts with his rib injury. Last week: 9
Sportsnaut(Johnson)
The Jayden Daniels injury hung a dark cloud over FedEx Field on Sunday afternoon. Fortunately for the Washington Commanders, their Week 7 opponent is a lifeless team that is in a race for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Commanders showed they could overcome an early gut punch and they handled their business at home. As long as Daniels is healthy, this is a good football team. However, that defense will always prevent it from being great. Last week: 13
#12
The Ringer(Lee)
Last week: 14
Team Rankings
Last week: 16
#14
The Lines
Jayden Daniels (ribs) appeared to avoid a serious injury and the Commanders wisely held him out for the remainder of a 40-7 thrashing of the lowly Panthers. Last week: 11