It’s never been in the cards for the Washington Commanders to win, long term, with superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels on the sideline.
The key, with Daniels out, is to just keep their heads above water. It’s something that’s not totally clear the Commanders can do moving forward after Daniels sat for a second consecutive game in Week 4 against the Atlanta Falcons.
In a 34-27 road loss, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota looked more like the player he’d been in stints with the Tennessee Titans and Falcons as a full time starter. Which wasn’t very good.
“The Commanders lack explosion minus quarterback Jayden Daniels and injured receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote on September 28. “The result was backup quarterback Marcus Mariota’s most pedestrian outing since signing with Washington ahead of last season. He threw for 156 yards and had one ill-advised deep ball picked off, but did manage a total of two touchdowns. Had Washington’s defense helped Sunday, that might have been good enough. There is hope that Daniels will return for Week 5, but it remains to be seen if McLaurin and Brown will do the same.”
The Commanders go back on the road in Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Daniels Out Since Sprained Knee in Week 2
Daniels has been out since MRI tests revealed he suffered a sprained PCL in a 27-18 Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Mariota is in his second season as Daniels’ backup and signed a 1-year, $8 million contract on March 12 after playing on a 1-year, $6 million contract in 2024. He won his first start this season — against another of his old teams — with a 41-21 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3.
Mariota filled in for Daniels in 2024 after he injured his ribs in the first quarter of a 40-7 Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers. Mariota looked sharp that day, going 18-of-23 passing for 205 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions to go with 11 carries for 34 yards. He also saw extended action in the regular season finale, going 15-of-19 passing for 161 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions to go with 5 carries for 56 yards and 1 touchdown in a 23-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Daniels Made NFL History as Rookie
The Commanders bet their future on Daniels when they selected the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Daniels was more than up to the task.
After Daniels beat out Mariota for the starting job early in training camp, Daniels reeled off one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history as he led the Commanders to a 12-5 regular season record and into the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. He also set the NFL rookie rushing record with 891 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Daniels was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and a Pro Bowler and set the Commanders up as legitimate Super Bowl contenders in 2025 — something they haven’t looked like on either side of the ball through 4 games.
“Jayden Daniels wouldn’t have changed much (against Falcons,” Commanders fan account Commanders Gang wrote on X on September 28. “The defense is the reason we’ll be lucky to win 10 games this season.”
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