After falling to the Los Angeles Chargers, the Las Vegas Raiders have a 10:00 AM PT date with the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
The Commanders, sitting at 1-1, shocked the NFL world last season when they snuck into the playoffs and then disrupted the field and made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. A huge reason for the Commanders’ uptick in success was thanks to their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
Daniels entered this season with the hope of avoiding the sophomore slump. Unfortunately for him and the Commanders, he will now be sidelined, at least for this week’s game against the Raiders.
During last week’s loss against the Green Bay Packers, Daniels suffered a knee sprain. According to Nicki Jhabvala and a slew of other reporters, Daniels has now been deemed OUT for this Sunday’s matchup, and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will get the start against the Raiders.
Dan Quinn said Jayden Daniels (knee) will be OUT for Sunday against the Raiders.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) September 19, 2025
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels OUT Vs Raiders
You never root or hope for injuries, but this is a huge break for a Raiders team that is looking to avoid starting the season 1-2. Through two games, Daniels has 433 yards passing and 3 touchdowns, with zero interceptions.
Daniels has been on the Commanders’ injury report all week and was limited on Friday. Today, they made the decision to give him the extra week of rest and hand the keys to the offense over to veteran Marcus Mariota.
Mariota is entering his 11th season in the NFL after being drafted 2nd overall (same position as Jayden Daniels) in the 2015 NFL Draft.
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He was the backup QB for Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2020 and 2021 seasons before signing as the Atlanta Falcons starter during the 2022 offseason.
He has a 34-40 overall record and 16,184 passing yards with 97 touchdowns and 55 interceptions. He has not started a game since 2022.
The Raiders will look to contain him in the pocket and get a much better pass rush than they were able to get on Chargers QB Justin Herbert. If Maxx Crosby can eat, then Las Vegas should have a fairly successful day.
Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel did not practice on Thursday for personal reasons. We are awaiting his status from Friday’s practice to see if he will be a go for Sunday.