The Washington Commanders posted a dominant 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7. They were able to overcome the loss of their starting quarterback after Jayden Daniels suffered a rib injury in the first quarter of the game.
Veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota stepped in and rarely missed a beat, posting a 78.3% completion rate. He also threw for 205 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Mariota-run offense was complemented by strong defense that put up two interceptions in the first quarter, one of which was returned for an interception returned for a touchdown by linebacker Dante Fowler Jr.
It's unclear whether Daniels will return for the long-awaited pick No. 1 vs. pick No. 2 matchup at Northwest Stadium on Sunday afternoon, however, the team proved they can adjust to whomever is under center. If the matchup becomes 2014 Heisman Trophy winner vs. 2022 Heisman Trophy winner, so be it.
As the Commanders get ready for the Bears on Sunday, let's take a look around the rest of the NFC East.
Dallas Cowboys (3-3)
The Cowboys had a week of much-needed rest and will now face a banged-up 49ers team in primetime on Sunday Night Football. A win could be the momentum boost quarterback Dak Prescott and the Cowboys need, but a loss could see changes coming from the front office.
Linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback DaRon Bland have yet to practice, although defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is off the injury report. In an interesting turn of events, Dallas may be without their kicker, as Brandon Aubrey is listed on the injury report as having jury duty, although the courts will likely be adjourned by Sunday night.
The biggest priority for San Francisco is not losing anymore players to injury. With wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk out for the season, running back Christian McCaffrey's return a question mark and an injury report featuring tight end George Kittle as well as receivers Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel, the 49ers are looking thin on personnel. It's hard to say how competitive the 49ers will be without most of their starters, although this could be a good matchup for them considering Dallas still has a banged-up defense.
New York Giants (2-5)
The Giants will look to turn things around during primetime on Monday night in Pittsburgh. New York has scored just 10 points over the past two weeks and will likely need to score a lot more than that to beat a Pittsburgh team that dominated Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets, 37-15, on Sunday Night Football.
Despite pulling quarterback Daniel Jones at the end of last week's 27-3 loss to the Eagles, head coach Brian Daboll says he still believes in Jones and said he'll be the Giants' starting quarterback until further notice. Jones is 1-15 in primetime games as a starter, although New York has been 2-1 on the road this year. The Giants will need a tough offensive line and explosive passing plays to have a chance at beating the Steelers.
Pittsburgh's tandem of edge rusher T.J. Watt and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward is one of the best in the league, combining for 38 pressures despite being consistently double-teamed by opposing offenses. The Giants' offensive line needs to be prepared to not only protect Jones, but also block long enough to allow him time to throw the ball. With quarterback Russell Wilson finally healthy and replacing Justin Fields in Week 7, it's too small of a sample size to tell whether Wilson is truly back to his old self.
Philadelphia Eagles (4-2)
In his first game back at MetLife, running back Saquon Barkley trounced his former team. Barkley put up 176 yards with 17 carries and one touchdown, poking holes in New York's run defense all day. Despite early concerns about Philadelphia's defense, it shined while allowing the Giants 119 total yards -- 43 passing yards and 76 rushing yards.
The Eagles will stay on the road this week, traveling to Ohio to take on Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and top-threat receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in The Jungle. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark, the Eagles have never won in Cincinnati and they have also dropped their last five games against the Bengals.
Could this be the week they break the streak? It's hard to say considering the Bengals are riding a two-game win streak at home and seem to have finally connected despite early-season woes on both sides of the ball. The Bengals' defense will have to figure out how to control Barkley if they want to keep the Eagles from moving downfield.
