The trepidation around Northwest Stadium was palpable after rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels injured his rib on the opening drive. He’s the glue that holds the Washington Commanders’ chances of becoming a playoff contender together. It also left many wondering how the offense would function without the new face of the franchise.
As it turned out, fans shouldn’t have worried. The Commanders were ruthlessly efficient even without Daniels. Veteran backup quarterback Marcus Mariota had some early jitters against the Carolina Panthers but put together an outstanding performance overall. This also became another masterclass of play-calling efficiency from offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
The Commanders hired the right guy when Magic Johnson swooped at the 11th hour to prevent Kingsbury from joining the Las Vegas Raiders. Some in the media criticized the appointment just one year removed from his firing as Arizona Cardinals head coach. It’s still relatively early days, but this looks like a tremendous piece of business by the new regime.
Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury turned on the style in Week 7
Kingsbury ran rings around Carolina’s defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. He implemented some creative rushing concepts, mixing the power-run game with read options and outside shifts extremely well. The Panthers are under-strength defensively, but it’s also worth remembering the Commanders were doing this without Daniels or rookie third-round left tackle Brandon Coleman…