The Washington Commanders are off to a strong 2-1 start, and they played their best game of the young season against the Las Vegas Raiders. But injuries have piled up.
The Commanders hit the road this weekend to face the Atlanta Falcons, and they'll be doing it without quarterback Jayden Daniels, wide receivers Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown, and tight end John Bates. Running back Austin Ekeler is also out for the season with a torn Achilles.
Washington should still have an excellent opportunity to pull out the victory over a Falcons team that never even reached the 30-yard line last time out against the Carolina Panthers. But it's up to the next men up.
Commanders' role players must step up amid ongoing injury crisis
Marcus Mariota will step in as the starting quarterback again, a role he has performed well in all three times he has played significant snaps in Washington thus far. However, he'll be forced to work with a limited array of weapons, with McLaurin's absence serving as another unfortunate blow.
Deebo Samuel Sr. figures to be heavily involved, both in the receiving game and out of the backfield. Fourth-round rookie Jaylin Lane and second-year pro Luke McCaffrey both scored touchdowns last week (though the former was on a punt return) and will have prime opportunities to make a difference again.
Reliable tight end Zach Ertz will factor in as well, with yet one more chance for Ben Sinnott to make some noise in Bates' absence. He didn't catch a pass against the Raiders, but he was impressive in the blocking game. He'll need to build upon that performance, and ideally even haul in a ball or two.
The run game was a strong suit for the Commanders last week, and it will need to be once again with such a depleted receiving corps. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt missed two practice sessions this week, but indications are that he should play. He, Jeremy McNichols, and Chris Rodriguez Jr. will all need to bring their best.
The Commanders are also thin in the defensive backfield, with cornerback Jonathan Jones and safety Will Harris both being placed on injured reserve. All in all, Washington has a lot of holes to fill, and this will be a crucial test of the team's depth and organizational structure.
Great teams find ways to win even when their best players are hurt. If the Commanders can put together another convincing performance against the Falcons despite the mountain of adversity they're dealing with, it will be a scary sight for the rest of the NFL.