The Washington Commanders' 2026 season heads home for the first time this weekend, but earning their first win of the young campaign will be a challenge.
Head coach Dan Quinn's squad will face the defending Super Bowl champions, and they'll do it without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Enter Marcus Mariota.
Marcus Mariota faces a daunting task to save the Commanders' season
The veteran backup is back in a starting role, one he played eight times a season ago. Mariota is one of the league's better reserves, but there's also a reason he's not one of the 32 passers who are trusted to lead their franchise.
The Commanders must tread water without Daniels if they want to save their 2026 season. We'll see if the other No. 2 overall pick in 2015 is up to the task.
In his eight starts last year, Mariota played well for a backup.
He picked up wins against the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, and fought valiantly in many of Washington's losses. Mariota made some perplexing throws trying to do too much, but he also made plenty of positive plays.
It was more of the same in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys last week.
Mariota threw one touchdown to wide receiver Stefon Diggs and another to Dyami Brown, even if the refs didn't acknowledge it. He went 11-for-16 for 111 passing yards on the afternoon, with no turnovers.
Marcus Mariota can help the Commanders build some much-needed morale
However, that was against one of the league's worst defenses.
This week, he'll face one of the toughest.
The Commanders will have the advantage of a frenzied home crowd this week, and they'll be facing a Seahawks team that looks set to get starting quarterback Sam Darnold back. But Mike Macdonald's defense is what carried Seattle all the way to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and the unit hasn't slowed down.
Moving the ball down the field will be a tall task against a team that's allowed 17 points in two games this season. And if Mariota makes any mistakes, the Seahawks will make him pay.
But if the former Tennessee Titan can somehow lead Washington to the upset, there's no telling how huge of a momentum boost it would be.
If the Commanders can take this one, it'll inspire confidence that they can take a few more without Daniels, depending on how long he is out after being considered week to week. That would be massive for morale, however unlikely it might be.
Being down to your backup quarterback is not a death sentence, especially when it's a Heisman Trophy winner with 82 career starts. After all, we've seen backups save seasons, lead their teams to unexpected playoff pushes, and even win Super Bowls.
It's only Week 3 for Mariota. But the fate of the 2026 Commanders is now in his hands.
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