Commander quarterback Jayden Daniels is an early exit against the Panthers, sidelined with a rib injury

Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was forced to leave Washington's 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers early Sunday afternoon because of a rib injury.

Although he didn't return, backup Marcus Mariota had no problem finishing the game and leading the Commanders to victory.

Daniels left the game in the first quarter after making a few tough shots after running with the ball on Washington's first drive, allowing a field goal to give the Commanders a 10-0 lead. The defense opened the game with a pick 6.

Daniels grabbed him by the ribs as he stood up after a tackle. He experienced pain while working with athletic trainers on the sidelines.

After trying to throw the ball a bit on the sideline, Daniels went to the locker room. He slammed his helmet hard on the ground as he left the field at Northwest Stadium.

The Commanders said it was questionable whether Daniels would return because of a rib injury, then ruled him out for the rest of the game shortly after halftime. Details of his injury are unknown.

Midway through the second quarter, Daniels' mother provided a promising update on social media. Daniels stood on the sideline in street clothes during the second half.

Daniels went 2-of-2 for 6 yards through the air, and he had three runs for 50 yards on the ground.

Daniels has dominated this season, his first in the league after his Heisman Trophy season with LSU last fall. The rookie entered Sunday with 1,404 yards and six touchdowns and two interceptions, leading the Commanders to a 4-2 start. He has thrown for at least 230 yards in every game except his NFL debut and was on a four-game winning streak before last week's 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Daniels went 24 of 35 for 269 yards and two touchdowns in that loss.

While Mariota struggled on his first drive – the Commanders went three-and-out – he engineered a five-play, 59-yard touchdown drive on the second to extend Washington's lead to 17. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. carried that drive with four runs, including his 8-yard touchdown that came after Noah Brown drew a pass interference call to put the Commanders in scoring position. At this point, the Commanders had 118 of their 120 yards on the ground.

Mariota threw 18 of 23 for 205 yards and two touchdowns to secure the 33-point win. Just before halftime, he hit Zach Ertz for a 12-yard touchdown that gave Washington a 27-0 lead at halftime, then found Ben Sinnott for a 3-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Robinson finished the game with 71 yards and a touchdown on his 12 carries, and Terry McLaurin had 98 receiving yards on six catches on six targets.

Andy Dalton finished the loss by completing 11 of 16 throws for just 93 yards and two interceptions for the Panthers, who have suffered four straight losses and dropped to 1-6 this season. He was briefly replaced by Bryce Young toward the end of the fourth quarter, despite having taken the starting job away from Young earlier in the season. Chuba Hubbard led Carolina on the ground with 52 rushing yards and scored the Panthers' only touchdown.

The Commanders, currently 5-2 this season, host the 4-2 Chicago Bears next week.