It’s been a long time since the Washington Commanders and their fans have been this invested in a single player — rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is just that good.
That’s why Daniels going down with a rib injury in a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers has caused so much hand-wringing. With Washington sitting at 5-2 and in first place in the NFC East, the team received some good news about Daniels’ injury status 48 hours ahead of kickoff.
Daniels practiced for the first time since the injury on Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday, according to a report from ESPN’s John Keim.
“(Daniels) really pushed it today,” Washington head coach Dan Quinn told Keim. “We’ll let our eyes decide how he responds over the next 48 hours. That’ll guide us and we’ll make the best decision for him and the team.”
Daniels injured his rib when he landed awkwardly at the end of a 47-yard run on the first play from scrimmage against the Panthers and lasted just one series before he exited the game.
Daniels returned to the sideline in street clothes as backup quarterback Marcus Mariota stepped in to lead Washington to a 40-7 win.
The Commanders didn’t have Daniels on the field during the 20-minute open session with the media present, but Quinn told Keim that Daniels had “no limitations” when he joined the offense for the team portion of practice.
Daniels’ status could be a game-time decision — kickoff against the Bears is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. EST.
Highly-Anticipated Rookie QB Showdown on Tap
Even before both players showed they had the goods to be elite NFL quarterbacks, the Week 8 showdown between the Commanders and Bears has been circled on calendars since NFL schedules were announced.
On one side, it’s the Bears and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. On the other, No. 2 overall pick Daniels and the Commanders.
Before the season, Yahoo! Sports’ Frank Schwab listed the game at No. 9 on his list of the Top 10 regular-season matchups in 2024.
It’s also a battle between the last 2 Heisman Trophy winners, with Williams winning the Heisman at USC in 2022 and Daniels winning at LSU in 2023.
One thing Schwab didn’t anticipate? Both teams being playoff contenders.
“Maybe this isn’t a matchup between teams we’ll see in the playoffs this season, but we get to watch the top two picks of the draft square off,” Schwab wrote. “No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams starts a brand new era with the Bears. The Commanders grabbed their quarterback of the future with the second pick in Jayden Daniels.”
Williams Shakes Off Early Struggles as Starting QB
Williams seems to be getting better every week, and the Bears seem to be following his lead.
In the first 3 games of the season, Williams had 2 touchdown passes and 4 interceptions as the Bears got off to a 1-2 start. In 3 consecutive wins since then, Williams has 7 touchdown passes and 1 interception. He’s also been using his feet — he had a season-high 56 rushing yards on 4 carries in a Week 6 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
