Sometimes, the injury bug bites hard. That’s happening now to the Commanders’ top two QBs, Jaden Daniels and Marcus Mariota.
The Washington Commanders can’t seem to catch a break with crucial injuries. In Week 2 of the NFL season, they lost Jayden Daniels, their franchise quarterback, to a dislocated elbow in a freak accident. Before he left the game, Daniels was leading a drive, making plays with his legs and arm.
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It’s not the first time that Daniels has gone down with injuries. His slender frame makes him more injury-prone. In the play in question, he stepped on the back of his lineman’s leg and hurt his non-throwing elbow trying to brace himself. It was the same elbow Daniels dislocated last November. This time, Daniels has been evaluated as day-to-day and has been seen wearing an arm brace in practice.
Veteran QB Marcus Mariota, who stepped in for Daniels, couldn’t lead the Commanders to victory. Mariota finished 11/16 for 111 yards and 1 touchdown, and Washington lost to Dallas 37-20.
Mariota led Washington to an upset win over the Seahawks (photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports)
Luckily for the team, Mariota led the Washington Commanders to a pivotal Week 3 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. He went 19 for 31, throwing for 183 yards and three touchdowns in a tight 33-31 win, marking the team’s first win after two losses.
Then, the injury bug struck again. Mariota suffered a knee injury in the first quarter of the Week 4 game vs. the Colts. He was forced to leave the game, and rookie Athan Kaliakmanis (college ball, Minnesota and Rutgers ) replaced him. Kaliakmanis finished 15/33 for 186 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
The Commanders lost 30-13 largely because they couldn’t sustain drives, going 3-19 on third and fourth downs. Now at 1-3, Washington is last in the NFC East, two games behind the division-leading Giants, who travel to Washington this Sunday.
With Jayden Daniels still listed as day-to-day and Marcus Mariota dealing with a knee injury, the Commanders may have to rely on Kaliakmanis unless they decide to call up Sam Hartman from the practice squad or sign a free agent.
That means head coach Dan Quinn, OC David Blough, and QB coach D.J. Williams will need to develop game plans to help replacement QBs be effective.
