The Washington Commanders suffered two losses on Sunday in London — one being the 30–13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, and the other being quarterback Marcus Mariota re-aggravating his MCL injury. Mariota went down in the first quarter after Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore sacked him on a third-and-goal play from the 6-yard line. He was evaluated in the medical tent, and then walked to locker room and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest.
ESPN's Molly McGrath reported that Mariota will now undergo tests on his MCL and likely miss time. Mariota sprained his MCL in his right knee back on Aug. 15 during the Commanders' first preseason game. He was out until Aug. 31, so there's a good chance he'll miss a couple weeks once again.
Athan Kaliakmanis, a rookie seventh-round pick out of Rutgers, made his NFL debut by stepping in for Mariota on Sunday. He threw for 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the loss. Kaliakmanis probably won't earn his first NFL start quite yet, though, as QB1 Jayden Daniels is expected to return to the field in Week 5 versus the New York Giants next Sunday.
Daniels has missed the last two starts because of a dislocated left elbow, an injury he previously suffered last season. Before Sunday's game in London, The Ringer's Tom Pelissero reported that Washington was planning to start Daniels against the Giants. Now with Mariota likely out for some time, Daniels's return couldn't have come at a more perfect time.
Despite the injury struggles to start the season, Commanders coach Dan Quinn sounded positive about the future in his post-game press conference. "A good fire has been lit and so it will stay lit," Quinn said, via ESPN. "It has not dampened my belief in them in any way.
But it is difficult to overcome some of the injuries, but I'm certain these are the right guys that battle and fight for it. They are one of the more connected groups I've been around and that will be really important to move us forward." Daniels will have a lot to prove when returning to the field as he has yet to get a win this season. The only win the Commanders have gotten so far was against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 with Mariota leading the charge.
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