SNIDER: Commanders find perfection amid Jayden Daniels injury
It was almost a perfect day, but the one imperfection will be a concern all week.
The Washington Commanders hammered the Carolina Panthers, 40-7. It was homecoming day with Darrell Green’s No. 28 retired and more than 100 alumni returning. The crowd was nearly entirely Commanders fans after decades of opposing fans ruling the stands. Even the weather was nice and the crowd staggered out to lessen traffic.
Too bad the one bummer involved the worst possible thing – quarterback Jayden Daniels getting hurt. Oh, it’s nothing awful, though Daniels’ ribs will dog him with every breath he takes for a while. Daniels left the game after running for a three-yard loss just minutes after racing for 46 yards, appearing to sustain the injury when going to the ground. He finished with two three-yard completions.
Washington has always worried about Daniels running, but didn’t want to limit him. Let JD5 be himself and hope nothing bad happens.
And, something bad happened. Daniels finished the late first-quarter drive with a field goal for a 10-0 lead. It was still anyone’s game, but backup Marcus Mariota mopped the field with the Panthers defense.
Which begs a question – how long will Daniels miss if Mariota can be trusted? The Commanders are 5-2 and host the Chicago Bears on Sunday. You know TV execs want No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams facing Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick. Not that TV dictates much aside moving the game to a 4:25 p.m. national audience and paying the NFL billions of dollars.
It’s one of those 50/50 games where the winner gets a big edge come playoff scenarios, given head-to-head is the first tie-breaker. It’s a big deal for Washington so the Commanders would like their ace rookie to play.
But, not if it means a long-term problem.
Most likely, Daniels will be a Thursday decision. Fortunately, Mariota showed he’s ready should Daniels need an extra week. Mariota was 18 of 23 for 205 yards, two touchdowns and a 132.8 rating. The offense was unstoppable. Carolina stinks, but still Washington just rolled over the Panthers at will.
The Commanders defense is the curious part of the Panthers win. Carolina is usually not very good, but quarterback Andy Dalton sometimes has a hot streak. Yet, Washington picked off Dalton on the opening series for a 7-0 lead.
The defense allowed a garbage-time touchdown, but otherwise did a superb job handling the line. They didn’t pressure much, but they didn’t bend, either. The secondary played its best game of the season. Maybe it was Green’s influence on the day that made his successors play like the Pro Football Hall of Famer.
A perfect day hasn’t come along too often in Washington. But, a better season after three decades of disasters is finally here.
