Washington ruled Jayden Daniels out on Friday, which means Marcus Mariota starts against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday morning at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kickoff is 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network. Both teams arrive at 1-2, so the London trip is already a small crossroads for two seasons that have not gone to plan.
Daniels dislocated his left elbow, his non-throwing arm, in the Week 2 loss at Dallas. It was the second dislocation of that same elbow. He avoided surgery and avoided injured reserve, returned to practice this week in a limited role, and still was not cleared.
Dan Quinn kept it simple. “He had a great week. It was awesome to have him back on the field in a limited fashion. He’ll be out. Marcus will start,” Quinn said. On the timeline, Quinn would only say the team will reassess once Daniels strings together a full week of practice. Some reporting points to a possible return as soon as Week 5 against the Giants, but Washington has not committed to a date, and nobody should treat one as fixed.
Mariota Has Been The Opposite Of A Problem
This is where Washington’s season gets interesting instead of grim. Mariota makes his second straight start after throwing three touchdown passes in a 33-31 upset of defending champion Seattle, the biggest result of anyone’s Week 3. Per the NFL’s own writeup, that was his first game with three touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating above 110 since Week 8 of the 2022 season.
He also hit a read-option keeper that helped close the game out, which matters more than it sounds. Washington’s offense is built on a quarterback who threatens the edge, and Mariota can still do a version of that. The scheme does not have to be rebuilt from scratch every time Daniels goes down, and that is the single biggest reason this team is not sunk.
The bigger worry is what keeps happening to Daniels. Two dislocations of the same elbow in four weeks is a pattern, not bad luck, and a quarterback whose value is tied to running into contact now has a joint with a history. Washington choosing rest over surgery and over IR suggests the medical staff believes this is manageable. It also means the team is betting on a body that has already failed twice this season.
The Game In Front Of Them
Washington’s defense has carried this team, and the run unit ranks third in the NFL at 3.8 yards per carry allowed, which sets up a real matchup against Jonathan Taylor. The Colts turned the ball over three times and still beat Houston last week, so there is a margin here for Washington to take.
One nagging note: the Commanders are 0-2-1 all time in international games and are now playing a second consecutive year abroad without their starting quarterback. Indianapolis, by contrast, won comfortably in Berlin last season. Running back Rachaad White, dealing with a shoulder issue, had not practiced in three days as of the latest report.
So What Does This Season Look Like?
A 1-2 team with a top-tier run defense and a backup playing the best football of his thirties still has a path, and right now that path is a holding pattern. The goal is simple: stay within range of .500 until Daniels is healthy enough to play without re-injuring the elbow a third time. Win in London and Washington is 2-2 with its starter close to returning. Lose and the margin for error is gone before October ends.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.