Jayden Daniels' elbow injury in Week 2 became a massive concern for the Washington Commanders as their promising young quarterback was sidelined with the same injury that cost him most of last season. The good news for the Commanders is that they have one of the league's best backups in former Oregon Heisman winner Marcus Mariota who led the team to a win over the defending champion Seattle Seahawks in Week 3.
Week 4 took the Commanders across the pond for a matchup in London against the Indianapolis Colts, giving both teams a chance to get to .500. Instead of the day being another chance for Marcus Mariota to continue adding to his resume, he exited the game with a concerning injury.
Marcus Mariota exits Commanders vs. Colts with knee injury
- Update: Dan Quinn told ESPN's Molly McGrath that Marcus Mariota reinjured the MCL in his right knee, and that he'll miss the remainder of the game.
Early in the 1st quarter, Marcus Mariota had the Commanders down in the redzone after he ripped off a 35 yard run, looking to extend the team's 3-0 lead. Protection broke down on 3rd and goal, and the disappointment quickly moved from the team having to settle for a field goal to Marcus Mariota being down on the ground with an injury.
Here’s the play that Marcus Mariota got hurt on. He’s now headed to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/DszMaJu5mq
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 4, 2026
After the scary hit, Marcus Mariota went to the blue injury tent before going into the locker room for further evaluation. According to the team, Marcus Mariota suffered a knee injury on the play.
If Mariota is unable to finish the game, it was an impressive start as he completed 3 of 4 attempts for 46 yards while rushing for 35 yards, helping the team take a 6-0 lead. The Commanders are still without Jayden Daniels, so rookie 7th round pick Athan Kaliakmanis out of Rutgers has taken over at quarterback.
Anytime that you hear a player suffered a knee injury, the concerns are sky-high given how long the recovery may take. Marcus Mariota isn't going to get a ton of starts at this point in his career, but given how well he was playing in the role, and everything the Commanders have dealt with, it's disappointing to see the opportunity taken away from him.
Marcus Mariota will be 34 at the end of the month, and at his age, you have to wonder if a long-term injury would mark the end of his career. Mariota stated that he considered retirement after the 2022 season with the Atlanta Falcons.
While Marcus Mariota never reached the heights many imagined when he won the Heisman Trophy, he still carved out an impressive NFL career. Mariota has racked up 12 seasons of experience with 130 career touchdowns and 18,000+ passing yards. The ability to reinvent himself and become a reliable backup quarterback has helped Mariota extend his career, and continue to be an asset to teams around the league.
The hope will be that Mariota only suffered a minor injury, but the severity likely won't be known until the team returns from England where he can undergo further evaluation. This story will be updated when additional information on Mariota's injury is made available.
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