With Jayden Daniels ruled out of Sunday’s game against Las Vegas, it marks the first missed start of the young quarterback’s promising NFL career. Head coach Dan Quinn announced Friday that the sophomore signal-caller will sit due to a knee injury suffered in last week’s loss to Green Bay.
Mariota Gets First Start Since 2022
With Daniels out for Week 3, veteran Marcus Mariota will make his first NFL start since December 2022 when he was with Atlanta. The former No. 2 overall pick (2015) has been Washington’s reliable backup for two seasons, making three appearances in 2024 as Daniels’ understudy.
“I said at the beginning we were going to be very diligent about his return to play and make sure we didn’t miss any steps. So we’re gonna be smart, not just fast,” Quinn explained.
“The player wants to do everything all the time, that’s who he is as a competitor, which is what I love, but that’s how we’ll roll.”
Knee Injury Forces Cautious Approach
Daniels suffered the knee injury during Thursday Night Football against the Packers, with NFL Network reporting it as a sprained knee. The 24-year-old quarterback didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday and was limited in Friday’s session.
Despite the progress, Quinn felt Washington wasn’t ready to risk their most important player. “Not being there all the way yet, being able to do everything,” Quinn said when explaining the decision. “We’re just not there all the way yet.”
The cautious approach makes sense for a franchise that has found its quarterback of the future. You have to protect a player who has started all 19 games of his NFL career, including a rookie season that earned him Pro Bowl honors and AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year recognition. Just ask Robert Griffin III.
Odds Effected Massively
The Commanders opened the week as 6.5 point favorites. The oddsmakers didn’t even wait for Washington to officially announce that Daniels was out and shifted the line a full four points. Washington are now favored by just 2.5 points.
The under/over is set at 43.5.
Washington is 3-0 against the Raiders both straight up and against the spread in their last three. Las Vegas is also a paltry 3-12 straight up, in its last 15 games.
Pick: Washington to cover.
As for the total score – everybody seems to be picking over, but the Raiders can’t score and the Commanders are surely going to fire on a few less cylinders without Jayden, right?
Nah. Take the over. Final score 27-17.
Mariota’s Opportunity Against Former Team
Marcus Mariota starts against one of his former teams, having played for Las Vegas from 2020-21 as a backup. The experienced quarterback has been a steady presence for Washington over two seasons, stepping into games when needed.
This is different though. Mariota’s last start came against Pittsburgh on December 4, 2022, when he went 13-of-24 for 167 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
While he’s remained sharp in limited action with the Commanders, Sunday represents his first chance to lead an offense as a starter in nearly three years.
Prognosis
Everything about Jayden’s status would seem to suggest that this is precautionary rather than serious long-term concern. Quinn described him as day to day earlier in the week, indicating Washington expects their star quarterback back soon.
For now, the Commanders (1-1) turn to Mariota when they host the Raiders (1-1) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Go Marcus.
Hail.