The Las Vegas Raiders are set to play the Los Angeles Chargers in a huge Week 2 matchup for first place in the AFC West. The winner of that contest will have a one-game lead on the rest of the division, which is notable considering how talented and deep the group is this season.
As the Raiders plan for that game, they have already received a huge break for next week’s contest. According to multiple NFL reports, Jayden Daniels is dealing with a knee sprain, and his status for Week 3 and beyond is now in jeopardy.
Who do the Raiders play in Week 3, you ask? That would be none other than the Washington Commanders, of whom Daniels is the star quarterback.
Jayden Daniels could miss Raiders matchup in Week 3
While the status of Daniels is unclear, it’s hard to imagine that the Commanders would risk playing him while he is injured so early in the season. Daniels is the franchise player and giving him a few weeks off in September makes sense to ensure he is healthy for the meat of the season.
Daniels was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 2024, as he beat out Brock Bowers and the Denver Broncos' Bo Nix for the award. He also took the Commanders from a four-win team to the 2024 NFC Championship Game in just one season.
If Daniels is unable to go against the Raiders in Week 3, that means Marcus Mariota is set to get the start against his former team. Mariota signed with the Raiders during the 2020 season to be the backup for Derek Carr, but he never started a single game in Las Vegas.
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He has since bounced around the league, playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and now the Commanders. This would be his first start in Washington, and it could not come at a more opportune time.
Mariota has not started a game since the 2022 season, in fact, when he was with the Falcons. But he is a good fit in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and the Commanders do have plenty of weapons. But he’s not Jayden Daniels, and that is a huge win for the Raiders moving forward.
If they can take care of business tonight against the Chargers, the Raiders will have a great chance of starting the season 3-0 for the first time since the 2021 season, which is, coincidentally, also the last time they’ve made the postseason.