Marcus Mariota's solid first half
It wasn't a first half that will live long in the memory for the Washington Commanders. Their defense was sloppy, and the offense struggled to make any progress as the Atlanta Falcons gained the upper hand almost immediately. However, the performance of Marcus Mariota was a small bright spot amid the doom and gloom.
The Commanders were on the back foot. Mariota had to do much more, and he responded well. His laser to Luke McCaffrey for Washington's first touchdown of the game was outstanding. And although he didn't make every throw, he was largely accurate without setting the stat sheet on fire.
This is all the Commanders expect from Mariota, in all honesty. He's not going to take over a game in the way Jayden Daniels became so accustomed to during his rookie campaign for the ages. He's a sound game manager who can get things done if everyone around him meets expectations. And this is precisely what transpired over the first half.
- 75 percent completion
- 62 passing yards
- 1 touchdown
- 0 interceptions
- 2 sacks against
- 113.9 passer rating (ESPN)
The Commanders were not really at the races. They were still in the game, but this would have gotten ugly versus a better opponent.
Marcus Mariota was chasing the game too much
The reason why everything went so well for the Commanders in Marcus Mariota's first start of the season against the Las Vegas Raiders was solid complementary football that limited mistakes. That is the recipe for success with any backup signal-caller, and it wasn't evident nearly enough in Week 4.
Mariota was always chasing the contest. That's not exactly the best way to gain success, and the mistakes began to creep into his game throughout the second half.
There was an interception on a deep pass that was expertly brought in by Xavier Watts. Mariota looked more flustered as the Falcons dialed up the pressure. He stayed composed amid the chaos, but the cracks were showing from a long way out.
While one could point the blame on other areas, Mariota's usually flawless accuracy deserted him at the wrong time, which was a bad look. The Falcons knew it, too, and they had no trouble turning up the heat on him with a healthy advantage to protect.
There was no safety valve for Mariota. The timing was off as the stakes were raised. And yet, the Commanders weren't entirely out of the game heading into the fourth quarter.