Hogs Haven
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Washington Commanders fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
This week we have three questions:
Question 1
The first is our standard question that is asked every week of the season (until December, anyway), asking about your confidence in the team’s direction.
Question 2
Jayden Daniels missed the first game of his NFL career on Sunday. It didn’t really matter; Marcus Mariota stepped up much like he did twice in 2024 and played very well, leading the Commanders to an emphatic home victory.
In the game, Mariota was 15-21 passing for 207 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked once (on a monster rush by Maxx Crosby in the 4th quarter) for a loss of 8 yards. He looked decisive and in control, though he was responsible for the game’s only turnover when he fumbled the ball at the end of a 22-yard run.
There’s been almost no information about JD5’s injury apart from the fact that it’s his knee. Jeremy Fowler did report this weekend that Daniels was never close to playing against the Raiders.
Despite some talk throughout the week that Jayden Daniels might be able to play on Sunday while dealing with a sprained knee, the Washington Commanders didn’t really consider putting him on the field
On the Saturday morning edition of SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Daniels “wasn’t even close” to being able to play against the Las Vegas Raiders:
Jayden Daniels is out for this week and it really wasn’t even close, which begs the question, what is he looking like for Week 4? So, I checked with a source over there who said, ‘It’s just too early to tell’ on that knee sprain. They want to see how he responds. I did recently talk to tight end Zach Ertz of the Commanders. He told me that Marcus Mariota, the backup, is really like a starting quarterback. He’s one of the best 32 in the world, so that leaves them in a good spot. They feel like they can win with Mariota, at least for the week until they get Daniels back.”
It seems as if Dan Quinn’s habit on any significant injury is to defer to Friday before offering any definitive answers about a player’s status.
In the absence of any clear information, in our second question this week, we ask you today for your opinion on who should start at quarterback this week against the Falcons.
Question 3
Question 3 focuses on the running backs.
To date, Washington has used a genuine running back by committee approach, with 3 ball carriers active each week. Of course, Austin Ekeler was lost for the season when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in Green Bay in Week 2. Chris Rodriguez, the team’s longest-tenured running back, was activated to fill the...
