LANDOVER, Md. – Marcus Mariota replaced injured rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels early in the second quarter, Dante Fowler returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown and the Washington Commanders defeated the Carolina Panthers 40-7 on Sunday.

Concern over Daniels’ status overshadowed the win after the No. 2 pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite left with a rib injury. His mother posted on social media that “he’s fine,” and given the lopsided result, it would have been more surprising if Daniels had returned and the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner spent the second half on the bench, chatting and laughing with his teammates.

The Commanders (5-2) did well without him for most of the game after he completed a 46-yard run and completed a couple of passes on their first possession. At that point, they were already leading thanks to Fowler’s pick-6, Andy Dalton’s first of two interceptions and the second from Emmanuel Forbes, who returned from a healthy injury last week.

The defense dominated, allowing 180 yards, stopping seven of 10 third-down opportunities and sacking Dalton twice.

While Mariota ran the show, Washington chugged along, rushing for 421 yards against the Panthers (1-6), who allowed the most points in the first six games of a season of any team in the Super Bowl era. Mariota was 18 of 23 for 205 yards with TD passes to tight ends Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott.

Brian Robinson Jr. also ran for a touchdown in his return from a knee injury that caused him to miss last week’s game in Baltimore – his team’s first loss since the opener. The 27-point halftime lead was the franchise’s largest since a 28-0 lead over Dallas on December 18, 2005.

Carolina’s losing season continued five games after Dalton pushed out 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young as the starting quarterback. Dalton finished 11 of 16 for 93 yards, and Young stepped into mop-up duty with 4:55 left and completed two passes for a negative yardage.

Chuba Hubbard was limited to 52 yards on 17 carries after averaging over 100 yards the past four weeks. He ran for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, long after the outcome had been decided and the fans who had previously made the wave had long since left to avoid the traffic.