CHARLOTTE — The Panthers hit the road for their first of back-to-back away games. For the front half of the road trip, Carolina heads to the nation's capital (or at least suburban Maryland), to take on the Washington Commanders (4-2) and their rookie sensation, quarterback Jayden Daniels.
The Panthers are 7-10 all-time against Washington. Carolina is 4-4 at home and 3-6 on the road. Carolina is 0-1 in overtime against Washington.
Get to know the Commanders ahead of the Week 7 matchup.
The Ramblin' Rookie
Jayden Daniels, the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, has lit up the stat sheet, the record book and the scoreboard since starting his NFL career just a few short weeks ago. He leads all passers in the league with a 75.3 completion percentage (125-166) and the fifth-highest quarterback rating (107.1).
The LSU product is averaging 8.5 yards per attempt and has tossed six touchdowns through the air, to only two interceptions. He has completed 32 of his 51 pass attempts of 10+ air yards this season, according to Next Gen Stats, recording 652 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception.
Daniels isn't afraid to escape the pocket. He has the fifth-most pass completions out of the scramble drill, going 8-10 for 128 yards. Washington likes to keep things in front of their rookie quarterback. He's lined up in shotgun for 80.1 percent of his plays thus far, throwing it 151 times (completing 113 passes for 1,284 yards) and handed the ball off for a rush 117 times for 568 yards.
Despite all of Daniels' ability to be a dangerous downfield passer, a defense can't forget his running ability. The Heisman winner has the second most rushing yards of quarterbacks this season, trailing only Lamar Jackson. Through the first six weeks, Daniels has rushed the ball 63 times for 322 yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Scary Terry
In the first five years of Terry McLaurin's career in Washington, he had 10 different quarterbacks. Even with consistent uncertainty at the position, McLaurin was able to post four straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards. The only year he didn't reach the mark was his rookie season, when the Ohio State product finished with 919 yards. He's on pace to surpass the 1,000-yard mark again this season, already with 356 yards and four touchdowns, the latter of which is tied for fifth in the league.
McLaurin and Daniels have found a groove in no time. The two have connected for a 67.4 completion percentage (11.7 percent over expected) and Daniels has a 114.1 rating when throwing to McLaurin, including one of the highlight plays of the entire NFL season thus far, a 27-yard touchdown pass to beat the Bengals. Daniels threw while being hit and McLaurin had a defender draped on him in the end zone, and the pass had a 10.3 percent completion probability.
A quick glance at McLaurin's route chart shows the receiver is trusted at any point on the field: short passes, screens, deep shots and more.
A D-line in flux
For years, the Commanders strength was the defensive front, at one point even including four first-rounders. The personnel has changed this season, but took a huge hit on Sunday when defensive tackle Jonathan Allen suffered a season-ending pectoral injury. Additionally, defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Javontae Jean-Baptiste both left Sunday's loss against the Ravens with injury, ribs and an ankle respectively.
Head coach Dan Quinn told reporters on Monday that Armstrong will undergo further testing for his rib injury.
The Washington defense is giving up an average of 137.7 yards per game on the ground and now will be missing one starter for sure, if not more, preparing to face Chuba Hubbard who is coming off his third 100-plus yard game of the season. He has run for 485 yards and 2 touchdowns across 86 carries this season, generating +129 rush yards over expected, 5th-most in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats.
