The Washington Commanders have some new (and concerning) injury problems to navigate before their Week 3 clash against the Las Vegas Raiders at Northwest Stadium.
Austin Ekeler (Achilles) and Deatrich Wise Jr. (quad) both suffered season-ending complications. Most costly of all, star quarterback Jayden Daniels is dealing with a knee sprain that has left his status in question.
The Commanders face a tough decision regarding Daniels' availability. On Monday night, the Raiders made that decision much easier for them.
Commanders should be able to beat the Raiders without Jayden Daniels
The Raiders fell to the Los Angeles Chargers at home. Quarterback Geno Smith threw three interceptions, and feared offensive weapons in tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty struggled to make an impact.
Simply put, this is a team the Commanders can beat, with or without Daniels.
Washington will also be playing on sme extended rest, while the Raiders will be on a short week. Not to mention the game will be played in Landover. It's not worth the risk to trot the second-year standout onto the field if he's not 100 percent.
Marcus Mariota is in Washington for a reason. He had a solid outing against the Carolina Panthers last season when he was thrust into the action for most of the afternoon. It's worth noting that he was also dealing with Achilles tendinitis over the summer. This held him out of the preseason, but he hasn't been on the injury report since the real action began.
As for Daniels? The Commanders can't afford to be reckless with their franchise player.
Undoubtedly, everyone in Washington will want to compare his situation to that of Robert Griffin III, who tore his ACL during the team's wild-card playoff game in 2013 while trying to play through a bad knee. He then rushed himself back again to be ready to start the following season, and was never remotely the same player that he was during his 2012 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign.
The Commanders need to cut their losses and sit Daniels out for Week 3. If this were a playoff game or a matchup with significant implications on the season, you'd do everything possible to have him under center. That's not the case.
Washington should be able to handle the Raiders with Mariota. If not, then that's a whole different issue.