Jayden Daniels injury: Commanders QB out for Week 3 game vs. Raiders due to sprained knee

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is out for his team’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, coach Dan Quinn announced Friday. Daniels was held out of practice throughout the week and was limited Friday while working his way back from a sprained knee that he suffered in Washington’s loss to the Green Bay Packers last Thursday night. 

That means veteran Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, will log his first start with the Commanders and his first since the 2022 season when he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons. Mariota, 31, is in his second year in Washington, where he has served as Daniels’ backup. Mariota started 61 games in five seasons with the Tennessee Titans but has bounced around the league between the Raiders, Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and Commanders in the years since. 

Daniels suffered the knee injury late in the game against Green Bay but was able to finish all four quarters. He threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns and was sacked four times by a Packers defensive front that is led by major trade acquisition Micah Parsons. The loss in Green Bay dropped the Commanders to 1-1 on the year. 

Who is Commanders’ backup QB? Marcus Mariota will start vs. Raiders with Jayden Daniels injured

Will Backus

Quinn noted that he was encouraged by the fact that Daniels was able to throw all week and that he ran in a restricted capacity Friday. However, Quinn said Daniels was not “there all the way yet” and able to “do everything,” which led the team to ultimately hold him out. 

“We said at the beginning that we were going to be very diligent on his return to play and make sure that we didn’t miss any steps,” Quinn said. “So we’re going to be smart, not just fast. He’s a player that wants to do everything all the time. That’s who he is as a competitor, which I love. But that’s how we’ll roll.” 

Even with Daniels sidelined, the Commanders are 2.5-point favorites for Sunday’s matchup with the Raiders, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Daniels, the 2024 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, has logged 433 yards and three touchdowns passing through the first two games this season. He has yet to rush for a touchdown and only has 85 yards on the ground after posting six rushing scores last season. 

In his debut season, Daniels — the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — tied former Steelers great Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL record for rookie wins (14), which included the postseason. He finished with a completion rate at 69%, accumulating 3,568 yards passing and 25 touchdowns with nine interceptions while leading the Commanders all the way to the NFC Championship Game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles.