Commanders cross fingers for Daniels’ return after Mariota joins injured list
by Liam Griffin · The Washington TimesLONDON — It’s hard to win in the NFL without your starting quarterback. It’s even harder without your backup quarterback. Just ask the Washington Commanders, who lost to the Indianapolis Colts 33-13 on Sunday in London behind third-string signal-caller Athan Kaliakmanis.
Washington opened Sunday’s matchup with Marcus Mariota under center and a 6-0 lead after two possessions. But Mariota, filling in for the sidelined Jayden Daniels, went down on his 10th play of the afternoon after Indianapolis’ Laitu Latu rolled up on the quarterback’s knee on a sack, injuring his MCL.
Coach Dan Quinn confirmed the injury after the loss but refused to speculate on the extent of it.
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“Just gutted for him. We really started off strong, [he had] a long run, he had an excellent week of practice,” Washington’s third-year coach said. “It’s an MCL injury and he’ll get it scanned tomorrow. We’ll have further knowledge of what we’re dealing with and length.”
Daniels, who dislocated his left elbow during a Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, returned to practice in a limited fashion last week — sporting a chunky arm brace to protect the injured joint.
There was speculation he could play Sunday, but he watched the game in street clothes on the sidelines.
SEE ALSO: Penalties, injuries doom Commanders in London loss to Colts
Without their star dual-threat quarterback — or their backup, who led Washington to an upset of the defending champion Seattle Seahawks last week — the Commanders turned to rookie Athan Kaliakmanis.
He had little time to process the emotions of his first NFL action.
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“As a backup, you never know. That’s the situation I’m in right now,” Kaliakmanis said after the game. “You’re always one snap away. I was mentally prepared for that all week.”
The seventh-round pick from Rutgers was a mixed bag in his NFL debut. It was a slow start. His first five drives under center featured three punts, a turnover on downs and an interception.
His goal was to operate the offense without doing too much.
“It’s no need to try and do something different. The one time I did, it was a pick,” Kaliakmanis said. “Was that the smartest decision? I don’t know. I’ve got to go back and watch the film.”
SEE ALSO: Commanders’ Mariota injured in London against Colts, will not return
Washington watched its six-point lead disappear as Indianapolis scored 17 unanswered to take a two-possession lead in the second half.
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Kaliakmanis tossed his first touchdown in the third quarter on a 47-yard strike to receiver Treylon Burks. It was one of a pair of deep passes for the rookie. He connected with Dyami Brown for a 48-yard gem later in the game.
The rookie completed 15 of his 33 pass attempts on Sunday, accumulating 186 yards alongside the touchdown and the interception in a losing effort.
There were mixed emotions in the Commanders’ locker room following the squad’s third loss in the first four weeks. Kaliakmanis performed as well as could be expected from a third-stringer in his first game. But losing another winnable game hurts. Mariota’s departure threw some extra salt in that wound.
“Marcus has been a Grade-A dude. He’s been great to me ever since I got here,” rookie lineman Matt Gulbin said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
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“Marcus is an absolute warrior and that was very difficult to see,” left guard Chris Paul said. “Of there’s one positive thing I can take — there’s countless things we need to learn from this — it’s that I’m very proud of Athan. As a rookie, he came in the huddle with poise and in control.”
Quinn said Sunday that the Commanders aren’t rushing to make any additions to the quarterback room at this time. They’ll wait to see the extent of Mariota’s injury — and how well Daniels performs in practice this week.
Daniels joined the Commanders in London for a week of practice before the matchup with the Colts. He was limited each day, though Quinn wouldn’t rule him out until Friday afternoon.
It appears likely that the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year could start for Washington next weekend.
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“That’s the hope for us, is Jayden coming back,” Quinn noted on Sunday night. “A full week of practice — Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. That’s the goal, that he could get into that space.”
Kaliakmanis and practice squad quarterback Sam Hartman are the only fully healthy passers left on Washington’s roster.
The free-agent market lacks any flashy names that could help the Commanders win in the short term if Mariota is out indefinitely or if Daniels reinjures his elbow, as he did upon returning from a similar issue last season.
Jeff Driskel spent the 2024 season and part of the 2025 campaign as Washington’s third-string quarterback, while current offensive coordinator David Blough worked with the Commanders’ signal-callers.
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Elsewhere, Hendon Hooker is an option from the Tennessee Titans’ practice squad. The Tennessee product would likely have some familiarity with Blough’s scheme. Hooker, like Blough, learned from Bears coach Ben Johnson when they overlapped with the Detroit Lions.
Other options include Joe Milton, a sixth-rounder who has played with the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys, and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, who has started 64 career games across stints with the Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Rams.
The Commanders will start licking their wounds on a flight home from London on Sunday night. They’ll return to practice on Wednesday to start preparing for a divisional matchup against the New York Giants next Sunday.
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Liam Griffin
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