John KeimSep 19, 2025, 12:36 PM ET
- John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the team in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He has authored/co-authored four books. You can also listen to him on 'The John Keim Report', which airs on ESPN Richmond radio.
ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has been ruled out for Sunday's matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a knee injury, coach Dan Quinn announced Friday.
Veteran Marcus Mariota will get the start in place of Daniels, who was not on the practice field during the open viewing portion of Friday's practice.
Daniels sprained his left knee in a Week 2 loss at Green Bay and was unable to practice Wednesday and Thursday. Quinn said earlier in the week that he'd want to see Daniels practice before making a decision on Daniels status for the game, expressing his desire to see his second-year quarterback run, pivot and cut-crucial parts of his game.
Quinn had said multiple times throughout the week that they understood Daniels' importance to the organization and did not want to rush him back.
Washington (1-1) hosts the Raiders (1-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday.
Mariota relieved Daniels in two games last season when he got hurt - in wins over Carolina and the regular season finale at Dallas. In those games Mariota completed a combined 33-of-41 passes for 366 yards and four touchdowns.
He knows what his teammate is going through and promised earlier this week to be "ready to go" in Daniels' absence.
"I've been in situations like this where you try to fight through it and maybe you're not playing like yourself, and it is hard," said Mariota. "You want to be out there for your team and tough it out. We understand Jayden is going to do everything in his power to play.
"We always tell him, just be you, and if you feel through the course of the week you get back to that point, great. We'll support you to be ready to roll. If you need a week, that's OK, I'll be ready to go, too."
In the first two games Daniels completed 43-of-72 passes for 433 yard and three touchdowns while rushing for 85 yards. Last season, Daniels was named the NFL's offensive rookie of the year in 2024 after throwing for 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He rushed for 891 yards and six scores.
