Commanders lose Jayden Daniels to a rib injury in a 40-7 romp over the Panthers

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Jayden Daniels' health was the first thing on Marcus Mariota's mind when he went into the game for the injured rookie quarterback. Then he just played football like he has his whole life.

After Daniels left with a rib injury, the Washington Commanders routed the Carolina Panthers 40-7 on Sunday behind two touchdown passes from Mariota and a 67-yard pick-6 of Andy Dalton by Dante Fowler.

“It takes a little bit to kind of get your feet going and all that, but, yeah, you’re just thinking about the player first and then from there you just go out there and try to to execute,” said Mariota, who was 18 of 23 for 205 yards with TD passes to tight ends Zach Ertz and Ben Sinnott.

Concern over Daniels' status overshadowed the victory 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,” but coach Dan Quinn said only that he had no update and that Daniels would undergo further tests Monday.

The Commanders (5-2) did just fine without Daniels for a vast majority of the game after he had a 46-yard run and completed a couple of passes on their opening possession. They already led at that point thanks to Fowler's pick-6, Andy Dalton's first of two interceptions, the second by Emmanuel Forbes, who returned from being a healthy scratch last week.

After after catching his first interception of any kind in the NFL, Fowler saw open field and thought, “It’s time to go score a touchdown.”

“Man, it was like I was in a dream,” Fowler said.

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

With Mariota running the show, Washington chugged along and racked up 421 yards against the Panthers (1-6), who allowed the most points through of any team in the Super Bowl era through the first six games of a season.

“Between giving the ball way and just not being able to get off the field, I think they scored on all but one drive,” said Carolina coach Dave Canales, who committed to Dalton starting next week over 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young.

Brian Robinson Jr. also ran for a touchdown in his return from a knee injury, which caused him to miss the game last week at Baltimore — his team's first loss since the opener. The 27-point halftime lead was the franchise's biggest since being up 28-0 on Dallas on Dec. 18, 2005.

Carolina's lost season continued five games into Dalton supplanting Young as the starting QB. Dalton finished 11 of 16 for 93 yards, and Young entered in mop-up duty with 4:55 left, completing two passes for negative yardage.

“It got out of our hands quick,” Dalton said. "We have to look ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘Why do these games keep going like this?’ I think that’s the biggest thing.”

Chuba Hubbard was limited to 52 yards on 17 carries after averaging averaging over 100 over the past four weeks. He ran for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter long after the outcome was decided and fans who were doing the wave earlier long departed to beat the traffic.

“At the end of the day, we won handily and I think the defense did an unbelievable job,” said Terry McLaurin, Washington's leading receiver with six catches for 98 yards.

Panthers: RB Raheem Blackshear left with a shoulder injury from a kickoff return midway through the third quarter. ... TE Tommy Tremble (back) was inactive after being listed as questionable.

Commanders: In addition to losing Daniels, rookie LT Brandon Coleman was concussed in the first half.

Panthers: At Denver next Sunday.

Commanders: Host Chicago next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young throws a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels stands on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels stands on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14) talks Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (18) after an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders 40-7. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders 40-7. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders 40-7. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders 40-7. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn speaks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. The Commanders 40-7. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders fans celebrate after a touchdown run by Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (18) runs from Carolina Panthers defensive end LaBryan Ray (93) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) celebrates with teammates after catching a 12-yard touchdown pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders place kicker Austin Seibert (3) kicks a field goal during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Zach Ertz (86) catches a 12-yard touchdown pass in front of Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson (23) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (30) is tackled by Carolina Panthers linebacker DJ Johnson (52) and defensive end LaBryan Ray (93) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders tight end Ben Sinnott, right, celebrates after catching a 3-yard touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (18) runs up field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (13) celebrates with teammates after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs from Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott (21) and linebacker Marquis Haynes Sr. (45) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Thelma Mothershed Wair, one of the nine Black students who integrated a high school in Arkansas' capital city of Little Rock in 1957 while a mob of white segregationists yelled threats and insults, has died at age 83.

Mothershed Wair died Saturday at a hospital in Little Rock after having complications from multiple sclerosis, her sister, Grace Davis, confirmed Sunday to The Associated Press.

The students who integrated Central High School were known as the Little Rock Nine.

For three weeks in September 1957, Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus used the National Guard to block the Black students from enrolling in Central High, three years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated classrooms were unconstitutional. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent members of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to escort the students into school on Sept. 25, 1957.

Davis said she was enrolled at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville when her sister and the other students — Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Melba Pattillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls — integrated Central High School.

“I didn’t think anybody was really going to hurt her because, you know, we’ve had racial incidents in Little Rock over the years,” Davis said of her sister. “People would say things that were mean, but they never really hurt anybody.”

Davis said in the years that followed she and her sister spoke about the experience.

“I think one time somebody put some ink on her skirt or something when she was coming through the hallway. And, of course, there was always name-calling,” Davis said. "But she never really had any physical confrontations with any of the students up there.”

Faubus closed all of the schools in Little Rock in 1958 to try to avoid further integration. Mothershed went out of state to finish her remaining high school classes. The academic credits transferred back to Little Rock, and she ultimately earned her diploma from Central High School.

“She was always a fighter,” Davis said of her sister. “She’s been sick her entire life. She was born with a congenital heart defect and was told at an early age that she would never get out of her teens. So as she approached her 16th birthday, I remember Mother talking about how afraid she was because she thought she was going to die. But she did what she wanted to do. She enjoyed life.”

Mothershed earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.

Mothershed married Fred Wair in 1965. The couple have one son, Scott; two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Her husband died in 2005, and Mothershed Wair moved back to Little Rock, Davis said.

According to the National Park Service, Mothershed Wair worked in the East St. Louis, Illinois, school system for 10 years as a home economics teacher and for 18 years as a counselor for elementary career education before retiring in 1994. She also worked at the Juvenile Detention Center of the St. Clair County Jail in Illinois, and was an instructor of survival skills for women at the American Red Cross.

Each member of the Little Rock Nine was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal, and they donated them to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock in 2011.

Wagster Pettus reported from Jackson, Mississippi.

FILE - Members of the Little Rock Nine, standing from left, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown-Trickey, Terrence Roberts, Ernest Green, Gloria Ray Karlmark, and foreground seated, Thelma Mothershed Wair and Melba Pattillo Beals speak with former President Bill Clinton, right, at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library, Feb. 19, 2011, in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Brian Chilson, File)

FILE - Thelma Mothershed, one of the Little Rock Nine who in 1957 integrated Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., is shown on Dec. 6, 1957. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - Thelma Mothershed Wair, right, speaks at a news conference in Little Rock, Ark., Sept. 23, 2007, as Carlotta Walls LaNier, from left, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Minnijean Brown Trickey, members of the Little Rock Nine who in 1957 integrated Little Rock Central High School, look on. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)