The Washington Commanders were rolling the Carolina Panthers six minutes into the second half and were able to pad their 27-0 lead with another touchdown. With the ball at the Panthers' 3-yard line on second-and-goal, rookie Ben Sinnott was put in motion, faked for a block for a second and slipped free to make the catch at the goal line for his first-career score.

Jayden Daniels raised his arms to signal a touchdown, but his celebration came on the sideline with veteran Marcus Mariota making the throw.

Mariota, the 10-year veteran who signed with the team in March, was called into action after the first drive of the Commanders' 40-7 Week 7 win as Daniels was held out with a rib injury. It took a drive to get in a groove, but Mariota eventually settled down to lead the offense on a 421-yard day with 205 passing yards to go with 34 yards on the ground.

It's never ideal for a team's starting quarterback to miss time, and Daniels' absence could have been viewed as an excuse for the offense to play flat for the rest of the day. The unit continued to look like one of the league's best, and it's a credit to the trust Mariota's teammates had in him to get the job done.

"We have a brotherhood here, and it's very unique, something that is very different from other teams that I've been on, and just that kind of belief in each other really settled me down," Mariota said after the game.

Mariota was one of the two dozen players Washington signed in the offseason when Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn began overturning the roster. At that point, the Commanders' front office hadn't made any official decision on what they would do at quarterback for 2024, but with there being a strong likelihood that they would be starting a rookie, they wanted to bring in someone who could mentor a young player and run the offense if necessary.

Most of Mariota's job involved the former up until the Panthers game, although the team did give him a shot at competing with Daniels for the starting job in training camp. Mariota missed the first four games of the season because of a pectoral injury but was still present in the meeting room, providing insight and guidance for Daniels as he got the Commanders to a 3-1 start.

Aside from nine snaps in the fourth quarter of Week 5 against the Cleveland Browns, Mariota stepping in to start the second drive of the first quarter was the most action he got since the preseason. It was the smoothest start to his afternoon; he recorded a four-yard carry on first down, lost that progress after taking a sack on second down and missed an open Dyami Brown on third down.

It was the only stumble for the rest of the day, as Mariota and the offense scored on six consecutive possessions.

"I'm really proud of Marcus and it's been a tough start to it [starting the season on IR] and getting an injury," Quinn said. "So, for him to come back and see that kind of poise in the game, there was no flinch."

Mariota's veteran experience began to show itself as the game went on. He drew a pass interference call on a pass intended for Noah Brown that moved the ball from the Panthers' 44-yard line to the 15. Later, with just over two minutes left in the first half, Mariota led the offense on a 92-yard scoring drive, completing five of seven passes along the way. On first-and-10 and the Panthers' 12-yard line, Mariota scrambled to his right before firing a shot to Zach Ertz for a touchdown that put Washington up 27-0.

It was a situation that Quinn said Mariota practiced on Friday before the game.

"He literally had done that on Friday post-practice with a bunch of guys and going through to get full speed reps," Quinn added. "So, it's funny how those things come up and you're ready and you're able to deliver. So, that's Marcus being ready when called upon."

Mariota was largely efficient for the rest of the afternoon, connecting with Terry McLaurin five times for 98 yards and Sinnott for his touchdown in the third quarter. Plays like his 25-yard pass to McLaurin, which featured him stepping up in a collapsing pocket to avoid pressure on third-and-7, helped keep the chains moving to get Washington in range for two field goals.

Although Daniels and Mariota are different players, there are similarities in style that didn't require the Commanders to drastically change their game plan. The unit still dominated on the ground with 214 yards; they controlled the ball for 35 minutes; and they took their shots downfield while averaging 6.7 yards per play.

"Having Marcus be able to step in and show us what he can do and keep the offense running smoothly, it just shows the love we have for each other and the chemistry that we have in the locker room," Sinnott said.

Quinn said Mariota's ability to improvise was his superpower. His reliability was why his teammates trusted him.

"I'd expect nothing else of him," McLaurin said. "He's been a leader since he got here. He's really helped Jayden along, and we've really built some camaraderie with him as well."

Quinn was also unsurprised at how Mariota led the offense.

"We've all seen it," Quinn said. "What I thought was really strong was this is a guy that missed a month of being on IR at the start. And so, for him to battle back from an injury and get back into the reps, that took work to do that."

Daniels' status will be monitored throughout the week as the Commanders prepare to take on the Chicago Bears Oct. 27. He's considered "week-to-week," according to Quinn during his Monday press conference, and the team is "hopeful" that he will be able to play.

The Commanders are going to be cautious with Daniels and will not put him on the field if he is unable to do what makes him unique as a player. The fact that Mariota showed that he can run offense well enough when called upon likely helps the team avoid feeling like they need to rush Daniels back into the lineup.

"If your moment gets called, then you're ready to deliver for the team," Quinn said, "and I think that's a really powerful thing and he [Mariota] was able to do that tonight."