Silver And Black Pride
There are plenty of questions surrounding the Week 3 matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Washington Commanders. To get some answers and preview the game for Raider Nation, we reached out to our friends at Hogs Haven and Andrew York was kind enough to provide more information on Washington.
Editor’s note: This Q and A was conducted when there was still a chance Jayden Daniels could play. He was ruled out Friday.
Q: What’s the likelihood that Jayden Daniels will play on Sunday? If he can go, what limitations do you think he/the Commanders’ offense will have? And if he doesn’t, what’s the confidence level in Marcus Mariota?
A: Twitter doctor David Chao (@ProFootballDoc) seems to think Jayden is likely to play based on watching game film of the injury and of Jayden playing through to the end of the game after being injured. However, Jayden hasn’t practiced so far this week (as of Wednesday when I write this). Coach Dan Quinn has said he wants to make a determination only after seeing Jayden practice, so presumably, he will have to practice by Friday to be considered for the game. If he can play, I think it’s likely he wears a brace and they scale back the designed QB runs. It’s also very unfortunate Jayden isn’t able to practice, because he’s looked a bit rough these first few games, with poor ball placement and, in particular, poor chemistry with Terry McLaurin (who sat out all of camp while negotiating a new contract). He needs these reps.
If Jayden can’t play, it will be Marcus Mariota starting for us. Mariota is one of the higher-paid backup QBs at $8M per year and the team is paying him that much because they believe he’s one of the best backups available. He also has a similar skillset to Jayden as a highly mobile QB with a good arm, good accuracy, and able to get the ball out quickly. He played most of Week 7 last year after Jayden went out with an early rib injury and threw for 205 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, and a 78.3 completion percentage, though that was against a terrible Panthers defense. He also played the 2nd half after Jayden got injured in Week 18 against the Cowboys (a much better defense) and threw for 161 yards, 2 TDs, and an 83.3 completion percentage. Fans definitely have confidence in Mariota.
Q: It’s only been two games, but what has Deebo Samuel brought to Washington’s offense so far? How does he complement Terry McLaurin?
A: Terry McLaurin is more of a pure traditional WR, with polished route running and the speed to take the top off a defense. As such, he’s best used on intermediate and deep routes with traditional passing concepts. Deebo is more of a versatile WR/RB hybrid who is quicker than fast and has the power and contact balance to get yards after contact. As such, Deebo is best used on short to intermediate...
