A few weeks ago, Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn faced heavy criticism for his decision to keep quarterback Jayden Daniels in the game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Daniels ended up suffering an injury, one that could have been avoided if he hadn’t been playing in a game that was already out of reach. The Commanders’ season has already gone off track, and this injury became yet another setback.
Jayden Daniels Injury Update
Thankfully for the Commanders, Ian Rapoport revealed that the team’s initial assessment of his elbow injury wasn’t nearly as severe as initially thought. What could’ve been a season-ending injury turned into a minor injury that the team will manage in the immediate future.
At this stage, the team is opting not to put Daniels on the injured reserve list. Knowing that, they expect him to miss fewer than four games. Moving forward, Marcus Mariota will be the starter.
Mariota has gotten the job done at QB. His ceiling is much lower than Daniels, but he provides experience and gives a veteran presence to a key position.
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Without him, who knows where this Commander’s team would be? Their season is far from what they were doing a year ago, but Mariota’s is ranked higher than Daniels among the quarterbacks according to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric.
Although Daniel’s injury isn’t as severe as initially thought, the Commanders’ chances to make the playoffs are very low. They are already 3-7 heading into the Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins, and are more likely to lose the game.
According to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor, Washington currently has just a 1.4% chance of making the postseason.
Washington Commanders’ Insights for Week 11
Team: Washington has only played one game in Europe, a 27-27 tie against Cincinnati in London during the 2016 season.
QB: Marcus Mariota has had a QBi grade of C or better in four of five games this season. His 79.3 (C+) against the Lions in Week 10 was his second-best score.
Offense: Washington didn’t turn over the ball in the loss to the Lions to snap a streak of seven straight games with a turnover.
Defense: The Commanders have allowed 35.8 PPG during their five-game losing streak. They allowed at least 25 first-half points in three of the games.
Fantasy: Deebo Samuel scored the short touchdown, but this is an offense to avoid. He was unable to out-earn Treylon Burks and Robbie Chosen in a meaningful way, making everyone in this offense a tough sell once Terry McLaurin returns.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the lead back in a name only: he only has two games with multiple receptions this year and isn’t featured enough to make the Derrick Henry profile work.