Dan Quinn liked the way Marcus Mariota stepped up Sunday against the Panthers.
Starter Jayden Daniels was injured during the first Washington possession Sunday. With Daniels unable to come out to play the second offensive possession, Mariota rose and led Washington to its easy 40-7 victory over the Panthers at Northwest Stadium.
“We hate that these types of injuries happen, and God forbid when they do, you want to make sure you’re absolutely ready to deliver in that space,” Quinn said. “And Marcus is that type of player. And as much as you don’t want that, those injuries do happen at any position in the NFL; we know it does.”
Mariota not only stepped in. He performed much better than anyone could have imagined he would, completing 18 of his 23 attempts for 205 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, and a 132.8 passer rating.
“So, for him to step into that space, it was an important win. Certainly not a great one with players being injured, but it was an important one. And on the sideline, you can see the support that Marcus got from his teammates. And I think that goes a long way, of being ready and all the things that happen when no one’s watching.”
Quinn especially liked Mariota’s hurry-up offense just before the half, which improved a 20-0 lead to 27-0 at halftime. What he liked about it is that he knows it is not simple and doesn’t come automatically.
“The staying after practice, going through a two-minute to get ready. And it sure enough, it happened right before the half, to go down the field on a two-minute, and he literally had done that on Friday post-practice with a bunch of guys and going through to get full speed reps. 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.”