The 2025 NFL season hasn’t gone as planned for the Washington Commanders, who sit at 3-4 heading into Week 8. Along with the team’s struggles to regain its form from the 2024 campaign, star quarterback Jayden Daniels has been dealing with injuries, keeping him sidelined for two games thus far.
Unfortunately for the Commanders, Daniels is dealing with a hamstring injury heading into Week 8’s road matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which has put his status in question.
Commanders’ Crucial Status Update on Jayden Daniels
GettyJayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders.
With hamstring injuries tricky, the Commanders will hold Daniels out of the matchup against the Chiefs in Kansas City, with hopes of having him suit up and play in Week 9 against the Seattle Seahawks back at Northwest Stadium, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic.
“That is confirmed,” Quinn said of Daniels’ status during media availability. “He will be out this week and Marcus [Mariota] will start.”
Quinn went into a bit more detail about Daniels’ injury and whether it has long-term concerns.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be significant, meaning long, but also not well enough to say, ‘Okay, in six days it’s ready to go based on speed and how you would handle this type of injury.’ So all of the week will be focused for him on the rehab in hopes of the following week, so I’ll assess that next week as opposed to some practice and some not, just put all of it, all the time and effort into that.”
Daniels’ next opportunity to suit up will be against the Seahawks, but the team will have a tall task at hand heading into the matchup with the Chiefs on the road, with Marcus Mariota set to lead the charge under center.
Commanders Will Turn to Marcus Mariota
GettyQuarterback Marcus Mariota #8 of the Washington Commanders.
Obviously, the Commanders are a better football team when Daniels is under center, especially when facing a formidable opponent like the Chiefs, who seem to have turned their season around after a rocky start.
However, Mariota has played well when called upon by the Commanders’ coaching staff. Unfortunately, the veteran backup has appeared in three games so far, with two of those games resulting in losses to the Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.
Over the course of the three games he’s played, Mariota threw for 426 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions, with a completion percentage of 60.3. He’s also rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
The real question heading into this matchup against the Chiefs is whether Mariota can play well enough to get the best of the reigning AFC champions, with Kansas City having won four of its last five games and seemingly back on track as a potential title contender.
The Commanders desperately need to get some momentum going back in the right direction after losing three of their last four games. It will be a true test for Quinn’s squad, as they risk dropping two games below .500.
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