Washington Post (paywall)
Jayden Daniels is ‘truly day-to-day’ with knee injury, Dan Quinn says
The Commanders’ health concerns deepen as their franchise quarterback nurses a sprain ahead of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Quinn said Daniels underwent an MRI exam following the game, but the coach did not specify the nature of the injury. A person familiar with the matter said the 24-year-old quarterback was diagnosed with a knee sprain.
Quinn indicated that Daniels suffered the injury on the first play of the fourth quarter, when he turned away from a rushing Micah Parsons and was hit by Javon Bullard.
“He’s already begun his return-to-play process with us. He is truly day-to-day,” Quinn said. “What does that mean for Sunday? I can’t tell you that now. I’ll have more to share on that when we get to Wednesday and practice and what that would look like.”
Quinn said he anticipates the Commanders will have a better sense of Daniels’s availability Friday, two days before they host the Raiders.
We’ll just take it as it goes through the week,” he said. “But he’d have to see all of the steps along this week to hit those marks — the speed, the stopping, the change of direction, all of it.”
While Daniels did not miss a snap against Green Bay, he wore a brace on his left leg in the locker room after the game. He also appeared to be walking with a slight limp as he arrived at his postgame news conference. Asked about his health Thursday night, the quarterback said only, “I’m good.”
“If called upon, [Mariota] is an elite competitor, teammate, player,” Quinn said. “… Our confidence in him is through the roof based on who he is, the teammate, what he’s shown to us here.”
Washington lost four starters to injury during their loss to the Packers, including two who are set to be out for the year.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels has knee injury, status uncertain vs. Raiders
For Daniels, not playing may be the toughest challenge.
“That’s just who he is, which I also love about him, by the way,” Quinn said. “But that’s my job, to make sure that one, I’m getting all the information from the medical side — is he hitting all the tests? — and then you also have to trust your eyes. Where’s he at? Where are we going? … And then before we even get onto the practice field, they have to go through a pretty strenuous testing to see where they’re at, even before the actual on-field reps begin.”
Last season, Washington had the luxury of having almost all of its roster healthy late in the season and into the postseason. This season is shaping up to be quite different, with the extensive list of injuries only two weeks in.
Quinn has made rest and recovery an emphasis, particularly with his veteran players, but facing another 15 games after losing two key starters and having others in uncertain shape will be a new challenge during the coach’s tenure in Washington.
Final thoughts | Jayden Daniels ‘day-to-day’ with knee injury
The Commanders have established a standard of making sure players are not rushed back onto the field, electing instead to take their time to ensure the players are completely healthy and not at risk of reinjuring themselves or worsening their condition. For Daniels, whose skill set includes being mobile in and out of the pocket, Quinn needs to see that he still has the strength to make the proper movements and change of direction.
“We’ll just take it as it goes through the week,” Quinn said. “But we’d have to see all of the steps along this week to hit those marks — the speed, the stopping, the change of direction — all of it.”
The Commanders intend to take the decision as to who will start at quarterback against the Las Vegas Raiders all the way to Friday. If Daniels is unavailable, the team will start backup Marcus Mariota, who completed 77.3% of his passes for 364 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions in two appearances. His last throw of the season was a game-winning touchdown to Terry McLaurin against the Dallas Cowboys.
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
Commanders Film Review: Struggles Covering TEs
The issues came in the passing game. Love completed 19 of 31 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns. Over 150 of those yards went to tight ends, with specifically Tucker Kraft having a big game. Kraft caught six passes for 124 yards and a touchdown. That was the biggest issue for the Commanders defensively.
When asked about that topic in his press conference on Monday, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn agreed that “the tight ends were the matchup” and explained why he was disappointed after the Packers game.
“I honestly was more disappointed on the play-pass side of things where they were able to hit some shots down the field to the tight ends.” Quinn explained. “The running back [Josh Jacobs] I’ve been impressed with, I thought he was going to be good. Not allowing any explosives by him, that was a big piece for us. But allowing some of the pass game explosives, that’s the thing that really bothered me.”
When asked more specifically about the tight ends’ impact on the game, Quinn expounded on his answer and gave his thoughts on why the tight ends had so much success in this game.
“Sometimes at tight end, it’s eye control. Make sure your eyes are in the right spot whether it’s a run or a pass. I was disappointed that we lost the tight end on some routes that, you know, looking at one thing, thinking it’s a run, you’re looking into the backfield. So I want to make sure those things we can get corrected.”
Most of Kraft’s yards came on the same two concepts, which individuals failed to pick up properly. Safety Will Harris had a really tough game working in man coverage against Kraft, especially when the Packers used play-action passes.
The Commanders add a familiar face on practice squad offense with Chase Edmunds
The Commanders had an open roster spot for a running back, and they decided to sign veteran Chase Edmunds to the practice squad. Edmonds used to play with Kingsbury when he was with the Arizona Cardinals and had his best years with Kingsbury.
In his four seasons with the Cardinals, Edmunds ran the ball 333 times for 1,551 yards and nine touchdowns. He also provided a receiving threat with 128 catches for 921 yards and five more touchdowns in that time span. Kingsbury clearly knows how to use him, and he could be the perfect replacement for Ekeler, and his draft profile agrees.
I won’t hype up the signing to be a roster-altering move, but he always makes the smart move. Coming into the league, Edmunds’ main player comp was none other than Ekeler himself.
Edmunds did miss last season with a knee injury, but he seems good to go, and is a great fill-in for now. Reports are that rookie Bill Croskey-Merritt will be the new RB1, as he should, but they still need other contributors, which could include Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez Jr., and another practice squad RB, Donovan Edwards.
5 Commanders who must become difference makers in growing injury storm
Ben Sinnott – [Commanders] TE
John Bates has risen to become one of the league’s most productive blocking tight ends. One only has to see how rookie right tackle Josh Conerly Jr. struggled versus the Green Bay Packers without his help to see that.
Bates left the game with a groin injury, which piled more misery onto the Commanders. Head coach Dan Quinn stated that it’s a long shot he plays this weekend, so Kliff Kingsbury should throw Ben Sinnott into the fire and see how he fares.
Sinnott’s been something of a forgotten man despite his second-round status. The fact that he wasn’t used much even after Bates went down is a damning indictment of how his development is being perceived. Zach Ertz can’t be the blocker, so the Kansas State product needs to step up.
The Commanders also have undrafted free agent Colson Yankoff if needed. But given Sinnott’s draft status and his athletic intangibles, he could get the nod to fill the void initially.
It’s a precarious situation. Sinnott was an innocent bystander during his rookie campaign, being used sparingly as Ertz and Bates thrived. This represents a massive step up in responsibilities if he’s tasked with starting, so it’s a journey into the unknown for all involved.
With Maxx Crosby next up for Conerly, the first-year tackle needs all the help he can get. That might have to come from Sinnott when push comes to shove.
Week 3 NFL Power Rankings: Overreactions, a new No. 1 and Vikings, Commanders drop
11. Washington Commanders (1-1)
Thursday: Lost to Packers 27-18
Overreaction: Jayden Daniels is headed for C.J. Stroud’s Year 2
After Stroud carried the Texans on a surprising playoff run as a rookie in 2023, he was expected to have a huge 2024. He finished 30th in the league in EPA per dropback (minus-0.03). After Thursday night, when he suffered a knee injury, Daniels is 29th in EPA per dropback (minus-0.09) and is completing less than 60 percent of his passes. (Seriously, though, Quinn never should have hired LaFleur.)
Up next: vs. Raiders, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
NFL Week 2 Recap: Green Bay Packers TNF | Booth Review Podcast | Washington Commanders | NFL
Previewing Las Vegas Raiders Matchup, Elite Quarterbacks & Duels? | Get Loud | Washington Commanders
NFL Week 3 Power Rankings & Monday Night Football Recap
PHOTOS | Commanders vs. Packers, Week 2
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field for their matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
The Eagles’ offense is stuck in the mud, again
The Eagles’ defense was better than the offense was worse
The win wasn’t pretty. The passing offense netted 94 yards. They put up a total of just 216 yards and had only 16 first downs. Statistically speaking, it was one of Hurts’ worst games as the Eagles’ starting quarterback since 2022. And you know what?
He didn’t care. Rightfully so.
Saquon Barkley ran 22 times for 88 yards and scored a touchdown, but it’s fair to say the electricity we saw from Barkley a season ago hasn’t replicated itself just yet. A.J. Brown was more productive in Week 2, with five catches but only 27 yards, and a long of just eight. DeVonta Smith hauled in 4 for 53, but other than that, it was a meager showing by the offense.
Much of the focus has been on new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo’s playcalling and overall scheme. Comparisons to 2023 offensive coordinator Brian Johnson, who was fired after just one season heading the offense, have begun. Given the talent level on this offense, it’s reasonable to expect them to be more dynamic.
It’s understandable, and if these problems persist, that concern will be warranted. In the meantime, take a breath.
Dallas loses starter Cooper Beebe, adds Jadeveon Clowney to defense
The Dallas Cowboys’ overtime win over the New York Giants came at a high cost.
One of their best offensive linemen, center Cooper Beebe, is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a high-ankle sprain, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. He suffered the injury late in Sunday’s game and was replaced by backup interior offensive lineman Brock Hoffman.
Rapoport added the hope, “based on the testing,” is that Beebe returns in six weeks. The Cowboys have a Week 9 bye, which could influence the coaching staff’s decision when the time comes.
The good news for Dallas is that Hoffman has 39 NFL games under his belt by now, including nine starts in the last two years. He’s a solid backup and one of the best across the team’s offensive line. However, it’s a tough blow for the offense and throws a wrench into one of the best things we’ve seen from head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s offense: The run game.
Giants’ OT James Hudson makes a horrible kind of history
Hudson pulled for Marcus Mbow after horrid opening drive
James Hudson’s performance on the New York Giants’ first drive on Sunday was historic — in the worst possible way.
Hudson, starting in place of Andrew Thomas at left tackle, had four penalties and surrendered a sack during the Giants’ opening drive. The Giants managed a 16-play drive that took almost nine minutes and resulted in a 38-yard Graham Gano field goal. Still, they could have had a touchdown without Hudson’s horrific drive.
Here is the litany of mistakes:
A 15-yard penalty on Hudson for a blow to the head negated a 10-yard Cam Skattebo run and left the Giants in a second-and-30.Hudson had a false start on third-and-19 at the Dallas 47.On the next play, a 51-yard completion to Wan’Dale Robinson that put the ball at the Dallas 2-yard line, Hudson was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty that moved the ball back to the 17-yard line.Finally, on second-and-8 from the 15-yard line, Hudson was again called for a false start.
Hudson was out of control.
Per the FOX broadcast, a four-penalty drive by one player had not happened this century.
6 NFL Players Under the Most Pressure Ahead of Week 3
Edge Abdul Carter, New York Giants
New York’s prized rookie edge-rusher hasn’t made the impact expected when Big Blue took him No. 3 overall in the 2025 draft. Through his first two career games, Carter has recorded a meager four tackles, two QB hits and a half-sack.
While Carter only saw the field for 38 defensive snaps (54 percent) in Week 1, he didn’t quite move the needle despite being out there for 67 defensive snaps (75 percent) against the Cowboys. He recorded just one tackle and one QB hit on those plays.
Carter has managed to make some semblance of a positive impact—including helping out on an interception and contributing several other strong reps—but he’s been inconsistent and credited with just a single pressure thus far.
The Penn State product must improve if the Giants are going to have any chance of turning things around after a winless start. Unfortunately it won’t get any easier for Carter and co. with a desperate Chiefs squad heading to MetLife Stadium seeking their first win of the season in the impending Week 3 clash.
Pete Carroll on Ashton Jeanty’s struggles: ‘He’ll get more carries’
No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty has come out of the gate slowly. Following a 38-yard, one-TD output in Week 1, the running back saw just 11 totes on Monday, gaining 43 yards with a long run of 13. For the season, Jeanty is averaging 2.7 yards per carry through two weeks.
Following the loss, Carroll cautioned patience with the rookie.
“We’re just getting started (with Jeanty),” Carroll said via the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “He’s breaking into the NFL. He’s figuring it out. He’ll get more carries. We have to run the ball more effectively. We only got (68 yards), and that’s not enough. We need more than that. We’re bringing (Jeanty) along. More will come.”
A run game that was expected to be the engine of the Raiders’ offense was anything but against the Chargers. Vegas handed the ball off just 14 times, with Geno Smith attempting 43 passes. It’s not a balance that Chip Kelly’s offense will succeed with moving forward.
The O-line has struggled to open holes through two games, but Jeanty showed some rookie struggles on Monday. He went the wrong way on one handoff and missed a blocking assignment on one of three Chargers sacks. There were a few flashes in his limited touches, but they were few and far between.
Amazon Shatters Previous Ratings High for 1st NFL Game
Nielsen’s new audience measurement has already delivered substantial viewership boosts in the NFL, a trend now furthered impactfully by Amazon.
The streaming and online retail giant said Monday that its Commanders-Packers game on Sept. 11, the season debut of Thursday Night Football, averaged 17.76 million viewers. That figure is the best regular-season total for Amazon since it began exclusive TNF coverage in 2022.
The audience from the Commanders-Packers game beat last year’s full-season TNF average of 13.2 million by 35%, and topped its prior best-ever game, a December 2024 matchup of the Packers and Lions that drew an average of 17.3 million, by nearly 3%. The only contest more viewed in Amazon’s NFL history was an exclusive wild-card playoff game last season that averaged 22.1 million.
Amazon also said it beat the Week 1 viewership generated by other, linear-based NFL rights holders among viewers ages 18–34 and 18–49. That further manifested in an average Amazon viewer age of 46.9, eight years younger than the NFL’s linear Week 1 average.
The Commanders-Packers TNF total also beat last year’s season opener, a game between the Bills and Dolphins, by 19%.
Ranking backup NFL quarterbacks for the 2025 season
3. Jaxson Dart, New York Giants
The unvarnished upside of young, highly drafted rookies means someone like Dart deserves to be on a list like this. He might possess a lower floor than many other backups, but he also critically has a higher upside.
At this time a year ago, I put Drake Maye at No. 1 and Penix at No. 5. I feel pretty good about those rankings; if anything, I probably wasn’t high enough on Penix.
4. Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders
Mariota, who we might see Sunday because of Daniels’ knee injury, is only 31 years old despite being in the NFL for a decade. Though he hasn’t played a lot recently (three games played and zero starts in each of the past two seasons), we have a decent sample size from him. And he has been very solid when having to serve as a fill-in.
Mariota has a 66.2 QBR since 2020, the first full season after he was benched for Ryan Tannehill in Tennessee. In 2022 with the Falcons — the one season in that span when he was mostly a starter — his QBR was 58.0. And ESPN’s Football Power Index, which has predictive ratings for all starting and backup quarterbacks, considers Mariota the third-best backup behind Cousins and Browning.
5. Tanner McKee, Philadelphia Eagles
McKee is an interesting case. Unlike many QBs on this list, he doesn’t have a solid track record of regular-season play. He was also a sixth-round pick in 2023. But signals from training camp and the preseason over the past couple of years have seemed awfully positive, and the Eagles happily dealing Kenny Pickett in the offseason (well ahead of training camp) was a vote of confidence. Plus, McKee has been strong when he has played. He has a 65.5 career QBR on 47 dropbacks over two games, including one start — a 20-13 win against the Giants in Week 18 last season.
I’ll confess that this ranking is based more on vibes than most of the others. But vibes can also serve as a viable data point.
Washington Post (paywall)
When the Eagles push tush, are they also bending rules?
The Eagles’ mastery of the tush push has moved beyond the play’s mechanics and into their intentional — yet unpunished — bending of the rules.
In the Eagles’ victory Sunday, slow-motion replays of successful tush pushes showed Eagles guards Tyler Steen and Landon Dickerson shooting forward before center Cam Jurgens moved the ball. Steen and Dickerson were getting a small but decisive head start in submarining defensive linemen.
They were not flagged for a false start penalty despite committing one by any interpretation of the rule. From an official’s viewpoint on the field, despite the clarity of slow-motion replay from above, the giant bodies clashing appeared to happen at the usual, allowable cadence. The Eagles’ penalty couldn’t be spotted in real time, at real speed.
Some opponents believe the false start wasn’t a coincidence. While studying film, Chiefs coaches had seen instances of the Eagles’ guards jumping before the snap, one person familiar with the situation said. Philadelphia’s execution led the Chiefs to believe the Eagles had honed the technique to exploit officials’ inability to detect movement along the line at the snap amid the play’s chaos.
Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni watched one of the slow-motion clips of the Eagles’ guards moving before the snap. “I’m not sure you can see that to the naked eye,” Sirianni said.
He defended the Eagles, pointing out that a frame-by-frame of most any snap probably would reveal a minor infraction. “Well, there’s things they do on defense sometimes that you can’t see with the naked eye or the refs can’t see with the naked eye,” Sirianni said. “You could do that with a lot of plays like that in football and slow it down.”
Left unsaid by Sirianni: that a few inches on a play designed to gain less than a yard are of immense value — and that the Eagles’ guards seemed to be choreographed. Sirianni understood the discussion around the clip might make it more difficult for the Eagles to succeed with the tactic.
The difficulty of officiating Philadelphia’s modified quarterback sneak extends beyond pre-snap legislation. As the officials tried to determine whether Jalen Hurts had fumbled, gained a first down or been stopped short, Brady and play-by-play partner Kevin Burkhardt asked rules expert Dean Blandino, the NFL’s former head of officiating, for his opinion.
“I am done with the tush push, guys,” Blandino said. “It’s a hard play to officiate.”