Jayden Daniels will miss another week, while Marcus Mariota will look to take down another one of his former teams.
Daniels, dealing with a knee sprain, has been ruled out for the Washington Commanders' game Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, per head coach Dan Quinn, making way for a second consecutive Mariota start.
Daniels was injured during the Commanders' Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers and his status was up in the air for much of the ensuing week. He said Wednesday he was feeling good, but that the ultimate decision on his status was up to the doctors.
Apparently, the doctor's orders were for at least another week's rest.
Joining Daniels on the sideline will be his top target at wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, who is out due to a quad injury and was described by Quinn as week to week. McLaurin's absence shifts more responsibility on pass catchers such as Zach Ertz, Deebo Samuel and Luke McCaffrey to make life easy for Mariota.
Both Daniels and McLaurin were officially ruled out on Washington's injury report, along with receiver Noah Brown and tight end John Bates. Running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt is questionable.
Mariota filled in splendidly for the Commanders during a Week 3 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. The 2015 NFL Draft's No. 2 overall pick threw for 207 yards and a touchdown on 15-of-21 passing, while adding another score on the ground against the Raiders, one of his four former teams.
The 31-year-old will face one more of his former squads Sunday. Mariota started 13 games for the Falcons in 2022 before he was benched, placed on injured reserve and released after the season. It wasn't a great fit and there were rumblings of ill will. It'll make for an enticing storyline as Mariota faces off with a Falcons defense that's coming off a stunning 30-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Despite that outcome, Atlanta still boasts the No. 2 defense in yards allowed.
Mariota and the Commanders kick off against the Falcons at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
