Jayden Daniels Is Practicing Again. The Commanders' Season May Depend on Sunday.

The Washington Commanders finally got some good news on Monday, and it arrived with a deadline attached. Head coach Dan Quinn told reporters that Jayden Daniels will return to the practice field this week, three weeks after dislocating his left elbow in Dallas — and the goal, Quinn said, is “a full week of practice, a full week and start on Sunday” against the New York Giants. The alternative is another round of quarterback roulette for a 1-3 team that just watched its backup go down on foreign soil.

Quinn also confirmed what the sight of Marcus Mariota crumpling in the first quarter suggested: a sprained MCL in his right knee — the same ligament Mariota injured in the same knee during the preseason opener, according to Reuters. “He'll be working off to the side as it goes through the next week or so,” Quinn said. That leaves Washington one hit away from starting a seventh-round rookie in the most important game of its season to date.

The same knee, the same ligament

Mariota went down on a first-quarter sack in Sunday's 30-13 loss to the Colts in London, with Laiatu Latu landing on him in the pocket. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 46 yards and added a 35-yard run before exiting, and was ruled out at halftime, the New York Post reported. Washington turned to Athan Kaliakmanis, the 223rd pick of April's draft, for the rest of the afternoon.

It was a cruel turn for the 32-year-old, who had steadied Washington at 1-1 as a starter — including a 19-of-31, 183-yard, three-touchdown upset of the defending champion Seahawks in Week 3. For the season, Mariota is 33-of-51 for 340 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions; for his career, he is 37-47 as a starter with a 62.8% completion rate, 18,219 yards, 111 touchdowns and 62 interceptions, per Reuters. A setback nearly two months after the original preseason injury suggests this could be a long-term absence.

London was a collapse in every phase

The quarterback injury was the headline, but the 30-13 final told the story of a team coming apart. Jonathan Taylor ran for two touchdowns and Daniel Jones added another on the ground for Indianapolis, even as Jones managed just 143 passing yards with an interception and a lost fumble, per NBC Sports. Washington also lost receiver Jaylin Lane, who was carted off with an ankle injury on a kickoff return and quickly ruled out.

Kaliakmanis had his moments. The 23-year-old hit Treylon Burks for a 47-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, connected on a 48-yarder, and had an 87-yard touchdown wiped out by penalty. He finished 15-of-33 for 186 yards with a touchdown and an interception. “Athan came in after 12 plays,” Quinn said. “That's not the ideal space to begin it, but I thought he also showed a lot of confidence, some fearlessness with that, and made some of the throws to highlight why he is where he is.”

The penalty disparity told its own story: Washington was flagged 10 times for 84 yards to the Colts' single penalty for five, and Quinn's decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own territory while leading 6-0 backfired. His postgame remark that the team is “built for this” drew pointed backlash, Pro Football Network reported — the kind of noise that only quiets with wins.

The rookie's résumé: two seasons at Minnesota, two at Rutgers, 5,820 passing yards with 38 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a college starter, and a 20-22 record. Last fall at Rutgers he threw for 3,124 yards and 20 touchdowns. None of that is an NFL start against a first-place rival — which is exactly what Sunday could be if Daniels isn't ready. For the broader picture of how the league got here, see our rundown of the NFL's quarterback injury crisis.

The Sunday deadline

Everything now hinges on the elbow. Daniels dislocated his left, non-throwing elbow in the Week 2 loss at Dallas and hasn't played since, though he traveled with the team to London and was limited in all three practices last week. In two games this season he is 29-of-51 for 260 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. For his career, the 25-year-old is 14-12 as a starter with 5,090 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Quinn set the bar plainly: a full week of practice, then the start. If Daniels clears it, Washington gets its franchise quarterback back for a home game against the team sitting atop the division. If he doesn't, it's Kaliakmanis — a rookie who two months ago was fighting for a roster spot — against the 3-1 Giants.

A first-place game nobody scripted

Here's the strange part: the Giants are dealing with their own quarterback wreckage. New York lost Jaxson Dart to a torn MCL and meniscus that required season-ending surgery, which means Sunday in Washington could feature two teams playing backup quarterbacks with first place in the NFC East on the line. The Giants are 3-1 and rolling; the Commanders are 1-3 and, as Commanders Wire noted, staring at 1-4 and 0-3 in the division with a loss.

For a franchise that opened the season talking about a leap, this is the week that decides whether 2026 is a season or a salvage operation. Daniels practicing is the first genuinely good news in a month. Now he has five days to turn it into a start. More on the NFL beat.