Commanders vs. Panthers – Studs and Duds

If you were looking for a stress-free Sunday afternoon, the game is for you. There really was no doubt from start to finish in this fight as the Commanders defense came out and set the tone early with a pick-six from Dante Fowler. Washington would take an easy 40-7 victory.

It wasn't all rainbows and unicorns for Washington, however, as rookie phenom Jayden Daniels was forced to leave the game in the first quarter with what was described as a rib injury. He later returned to the sidelines in street clothes and was seen giving fans a “thumbs up”, giving hope that his injury is not that serious. Marcus Mariota played very well in his absence and the offense really didn't let up against an inferior opponent. But with Chicago coming to town next week, Daniels' health will be important to keep an eye on.

Below you will find my game reports, followed by some notes.

Stollen:

Dante Fowler – Fowler opened the scoring with a pick-six on Commander’s first defensive series of the game. He then added a sack, tackled a loss on a fourth-and-1 play and applied multiple pressures throughout the afternoon.

Marcus Mariota – Mariota looked a little shaky when he came into the game cold for the first time from the bench. However, it didn't take long for him to warm up. He showed great command of the offense, throwing for 205 yards and two touchdowns on 18 completions with just five incompletions (two of which were drops). He also threw for 34 rushing yards.

Brian Robinson – Even though he didn't get the start in this game, Robinson was definitely the workhorse, as he hauled in 12 carries for 71 yards and a tough touchdown run. He probably would have had more if the coaching staff hadn't limited his workload a bit.

Terry McLaurin – No, Jayden Daniels, don't worry about Terry. He and Mariota quickly hit it off, and he finished the game with a team-leading six receptions and 98 receiving yards. He probably would have had a lot more if the result had been even remotely close.

Frankie Luvu – Luvu is the undisputed leader of this defense and he showed how special he is with a great performance against his former team. He had four tackles on the afternoon, two for a loss, a sack and several pressures.

Mike Sainristil – The rookie cornerback is really coming into his own. Sainristil had some very nice open field tackles (one for a loss), showed really good coverage (had a pass blocked) and led the team with seven tackles.

Commanders' offensive line – Aside from a few penalties and a few blocking errors, this unit played very well against the Panthers' front seven and led the way with over 420 yards of total offense. Washington's ball carriers averaged 5.8 yards per carry and the unit did a good job keeping Mariota clean.

Austin Seibert – Seibert was perfect on the day, going four for four on his field goal attempts (with a long of 49) and converting all four of his extra points.

Duds:

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Notes:

• Emmanuel Forbes saw some playing time and recorded an interception. Hey, it's a start…

• I was excited to see Sinnott catch his first touchdown pass of his young career. Hopefully this is the beginning of many more to come.

• Brandon Coleman started at left tackle for the first time this season. He played pretty well before exiting with a head injury.
• Zach Ertz had a nice afternoon, catching four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. It didn't take long for him to get along with Mariota.
• Noah Igbinoghene continues to show he can play at a high level. Maybe the former first-rounder just needed a change of scenery. He was second on the team with six tackles, all solo.

• McNichols is a tough runner who blocks well and also shines on special teams. I understand why he made the team.
• Kliff Kingsbury continues to call great plays!