The Washington Commanders (3-9) face the Minnesota Vikings (4-8) on Sunday in Week 14 NFL action. While it’s a matchup of two NFC teams far out of the playoff picture, it also happens to be one of the weekend’s more interesting matchups.
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels returns to the lineup after missing the last three games due to a dislocated elbow on his non-throwing arm. It was the third injury Daniels suffered this season, which has cost him a total of six games. Meanwhile, the Commanders have lost seven games in a row and have been decimated by injuries since a Week 2 loss at Green Bay.
It’s been a frustrating year for Daniels. He’s been without star wide receiver Terry McLaurin for much of the year. The duo quickly became one of the NFL’s most dangerous QB-receivers duos in 2024, but have only appeared in two games together this season. McLaurin missed part of the offseason, training camp and the preseason after a contract dispute. While McLaurin returned, he, too, dealt with a nagging injury that cost him seven games.
McLaurin returned last week.
Daniels led the Commanders to a surprising 12-5 campaign in 2024 and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. Instead of building off that season, Washington has sunk to the bottom of the NFC. It’s been a trying season for Daniels, but it could prove valuable in the long run. It’s allowed Daniels to learn things about himself from being away from the game he loves.
“The passion I have for this game is what I learned the most,” Daniels said on Friday. “You know, what’s something that’s taken away from you, you kind of take it for granted. So, at that moment, that’s kind of what was going through my mind. And I really want to go back out there, and I was more miserable. I can’t like play because I’ve been playing football my whole life, and as a competitor, I want to be out there. But I was also happy, you know, for [QB] Marcus [Mariota], I was happy for the guys to see how they battled and bounced back each and every week and how they played. And all I did was kind of just focus my energy on, like I said, being a great teammate in my rehab.”
Daniels is a competitive guy. He’s driven for success. Despite outperforming his fellow five rookie quarterbacks last season, it’s out of sight, out of mind for many NFL fans and analysts this year. Everyone is talking about Drake Maye, Caleb Williams and Bo Nix for the success of their teams, much like they did with Daniels last season. Maye is a legit MVP candidate — like Daniels was in 2024. Do you think their success has motivated Daniels? Of course it has.
Daniels is healthy and wants to finish the season on a strong note. After Sunday’s game against the Vikings, Washington faces all NFC East opponents for the final four games.