Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Jayden Daniels' status for Week 3 in doubt

By Andrew Wright | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 3:17 PM ET

Jayden Daniels may be in line to miss the first game of his NFL career in Week 3.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the quarterback of the Washington Commanders has been diagnosed with a knee sprain, putting his status for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders in doubt.

How did Jayden Daniels suffer knee injury?

Daniels was injured in Washington's 27-18 loss in Week 2 to the Green Bay Packers. It happened when the game was a bit out of reach, leaving fans to wonder why Daniels was still in the game and taking unnecessary hits. The knee sprain presumably happened on the first play in the video below, a scramble from Daniels in the fourth quarter of Thursday's loss.

As we await Dan Quinn's comments on Jayden Daniels' health this afternoon, here are two of our low angle clips of Daniels runs on the Samuel TD drive in the 4th quarter vs GB.@JPFinlayNBCS #RaiseHail #Commanders pic.twitter.com/QL1yzSqctj
— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) September 15, 2025

Who would take Jayden Daniels' spot in lineup if he is out?

If Daniels is indeed out on Sunday, Washington's backup quarterback is Marcus Mariota. Mariota struggled with an Achilles injury that held him out of the preseason, but that is no longer an issue.

Daniels missing Sunday's game would be the first one he hasn't started since being drafted by the Commanders. He did exit a game last season against the Carolina Panthers due to a knee injury, but returned to play the next week. Sitting out Daniels for one week to prioritize his health and get him back to full strength for a long season may very well be the smart move for Washington on Sunday.

Andrew Wright

Andrew "Dew" Wright graduated from Charleston Southern University with a degree in Communication Studies. He is a lifelong Chicago Cubs and Washington Commanders fan.

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