No team can boast 100 percent health at this late stage of the campaign. The Washington Commanders have been more fortunate than most on the injury front this season. Their extended bye week rest should also serve them well for the stretch run.
The Commanders enter a must-win situation at the New Orleans Saints. Dan Quinn's men are favored to emerge victorious, but the stakes are high. This bears more significance when one considers the Los Angeles Rams turned up the heat with a hard-fought success over the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday Night Football.
It's been a mixture of good news and bad on the Commanders' injury report this week. The team is getting stud cornerback Marshon Lattimore in the lineup for the first time since his trade from the Saints. He'll be looking to make his old employers pay for their lack of faith.
Jamison Crowder has also been activated from injured reserve. This provides another assured presence in the passing and return game for the Commanders to call upon. That will be needed more than ever after the disappointing development surrounding Noah Brown.
Quinn revealed that the wideout suffered a serious internal injury against the Tennessee Titans. He's now on injured reserve, leaving rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels without another capable performer. Someone further down the pecking order needs to step up or K.J. Osborn must hit the ground running after he was picked up off waivers following his release by the New England Patriots.
Washington's decision to sign and quickly elevate kicker Greg Joseph doesn't bode well for Zane Gonzalez's chances of participation. The veteran is dealing with a left foot issue, which adds more dismay to the kicking spot that looked so stable earlier in the campaign.
Something else to monitor was the status of Daron Payne. The defensive tackle landed on the injury report on Friday and was listed as questionable for the clash with a back problem. Not having the former first-round pick out of Alabama would be a huge blow in the face of star running back Alvin Kamara.
Tyler Biadasz was an extremely late concern after the center became questionable with an illness. He did some work before the contest and was involved in heavy discussions with Quinn and general manager Adam Peters.
Aside from that, everyone else should be rejuvenated and ready to conclude the campaign positively after their bye week. Let's see who's inactive for both teams in Week 15.
Commanders inactive players list for Week 15
- WR K.J. Osborn
- QB Jeff Driskel (Emergency QB)
- CB Michael Davis
- LB Dominique Hampton
- PK Zane Gonzalez
- C Tyler Biadasz
- DT Phidarian Mathis
Via the Commanders website.
Saints inactive players list for Week 15
- QB Derek Carr
- RB Jordan Mims
- WR Mason Tipton
- DE Tanoh Kpassagnon
- DT Khristian Boyd
Via the Saints website.