LANDOVER, Md. – The one-page scoreboard, while great, wasn't the main story.

The surging Washington Commanders dominated in all three phases, outscoring the gritty Carolina Panthers 40-7. They continued their streak of consistently high effort, turning coach Dan Quinn's months-long messages into the desired standard. At any other time, that would be the most important takeaway, except with the injured Jayden Daniels.

The rookie quarterback sensation was forced to exit Sunday's game at Northwest Stadium after Washington's first offensive drive since suffering a rib injury. Backup Marcus Mariota came in and provided the necessary power as the NFC East-leading Commanders improved to 5-2, surpassing last season's win total. Mariota could have flown the team to the moon and back and concerns about the franchise's shining star would still outweigh everything else.

Before anyone starts hyperventilating, Daniels appears to be fine. Quinn had no official update to offer after the game other than to note that the league leader in completion percentage will undergo testing on Monday. Daniels spent the rest of the first half in the locker room, but returned to his teammates after halftime, wearing a team-colored tracksuit, a big smile and, despite the pain, his trademark relaxed mood.

“We have no idea (about the injury status), but I think he was in good spirits,” said Mariota, a veteran mentor of the 23-year-old. “You check on him, see how he’s doing, and we take care of it day by day.”

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The Commanders' biggest play on Sunday was keeping the injured Jayden Daniels off the field

This gradual approach has worked well for Washington this season. Echoing Daniels, the commanders have maintained a balanced mentality.

They fought back from a 30-23 loss at Super Bowl contender Baltimore last week without any upsets after missing defensive tackle Jonathan Allen with a chest injury and fellow lineman Dorance Armstrong (rib) for at least a week this season had to do without for a long time.

Washington didn't look beyond the Panthers (1-6) either. Instead, the Commanders won their third game this season by at least 21 points. Starting with edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr.'s 67-yard interception return for a touchdown 4:46 into the game, this game was over early. The 27-0 halftime score was Washington's largest halftime lead since a 28-point lead against Dallas on December 18, 2005.

“The central theme of our program will be competition,” Quinn said. “Sometimes you really have to compete against yourself to see how good you can become. And at other times, like now and this week, might we compete to become stronger, find ways to be better, and acknowledge that we still have work to do?

“Even though this game was Carolina, we focused on ourselves as much as possible during the week of preparation. We really wanted to dig into ourselves and find the next gear.”

DANTE FOWLER JR. PICK-6!

📺: #CARvsWAS on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/JTuzB4p55Q

– NFL (@NFL) October 20, 2024

Washington's offense under coordinator Kliff Kingsbury continued to run at a phenomenal rate. The Commanders outgained the Panthers 421-180 yards, with 214 yards on the ground and more than twice Carolina's in first downs (26 to 10). Without Daniels, such production seemed unlikely.

Neither Quinn nor his teammates could tell when the dual-threat quarterback started to hurt. Daniels raced past defenders for a 46-yard run but was turned over on a clean tackle. The rookie stayed in the game and had two additional carries. On his final run, wide receiver Dyami Brown recognized that Daniels was uncomfortable as he preferred to “slowly fall to the ground” at the Carolina 8-yard line rather than fight for extra yards.

Washington ended the drive with a 23-yard field goal, the first of four from kicker Austin Seibert. Daniels entered the blue medical tent on the sideline, Washington on defense. When Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton threw his second interception, which provided a much-needed confidence boost for cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Daniels tried to get back into the game.

The coaches saw enough even before Daniels threw practice passes. Mariota came in and Daniels went to the locker room as the Commanders led 10-0. He and rookie tackle Brandon Coleman (concussion) left after halftime. Daniels completed both of his pass attempts for 6 yards and another 50 yards on the ground. Injured players will not be available to the media after the game.

“I'm not going to speculate about his injury, but he's a tough guy,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “I know he will do everything he can to be ready for next week.”

In his first significant game action since the season opener, Mariota needed a few reps before he found his rhythm. The veteran completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards and two touchdown passes to tight ends Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott. McLaurin led Washington with six receptions for 98 yards.

“Thanks to Marcus for coming and being ready,” McLaurin said. “I wouldn’t expect anything different from him. Since he's been here, he's been a leader. He helped Jayden along and we built a real camaraderie with him too.”

The 12-yard touchdown for Ertz capped an eight-play, 92-yard drive that began with 2:22 left in the first half. Washington crossed midfield on consecutive McLaurin receptions for a total of 33 yards.

The halftime ends with a tuddy

📺 #CARvsWAS CBSpic.twitter.com/FGmT3yACiG

– Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 20, 2024

“My favorite part of the game was us going down on a two-minute drive and scoring. “When you don't have a starting quarterback but you're still performing at a high level, I think that's a standard that we've set for our offense,” McLaurin said.

Considering they throttled Carolina from the jump, Washington's defenders might struggle with the idea of ​​being the favorite. The Panthers scored their first points on running back Chuba Hubbard's 4-yard touchdown run with 11:38 left. Carolina's 95 rushing yards were the fewest of any Washington opponent this year.

After a two-sack game in Baltimore, Fowler defined the next-man-up ethos with his first career pick: six, a sack and a tackle for a loss. No Washington player has reached these points in a game since defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson in Week 8 of the 1999 season.

“I love the way we operate,” said Fowler, a longtime player under Quinn. “That man down, next man up mentality. But it was just a camaraderie and brotherhood that we had. I could just…play for each other. I love this team very much. I love the way we play for each other.”

There is no end in sight to this feeling of brotherhood. This spirit is what Washington strives for in the long term. Quinn and veteran players established a “Commanders Standard” before the rookies arrived: how they would train, handle a walk-through, be professionals, etc., and “constantly look for improvement.” That explains a lot about this shocking increase. Daniels too.

The Commanders won this competition without their prized rookie. This won't be so easy if he misses the time. The No. 2 pick in April's NFL draft represents hope for a franchise largely unfamiliar with such optimism this century.

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On Sunday, Washington honored Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green with a ceremony in which he retired his jersey number. Arguably the greatest player in franchise history spoke a lot about the gesture before the game, especially since he “didn't have a relationship with the team” for years before the franchise was sold in 2023. legendary career and the need to refocus on this new version of Washington.

“Let us come together and be fans, supporters and family of the new generation of Washington Commanders,” Green said.

The Commanders gave Washington's former star cornerback and others in attendance plenty to smile about, even if the main attraction was their shining teammates.

(Photo: Nick Wass / Associated Press)