The Commanders are bringing back a familiar face for Christmas game against Cowboys, which signals bad news for one player
The Commanders are signing QB Jeff Driskel to try to save Christmas in Week 17 against the Cowboys after Marcus Mariota’s injury.
The Washington Commanders fell to 4-11 after a loss at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, but there’s no more time to think about it with a short week ahead.
The Commanders have to get ready to get right back on the home field on Christmas Day against the Dallas Cowboys. The team lost more than the game against the Eagles, and the Commanders are once again dealing with multiple injuries that will heavily impact this week’s game.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota went down to start the second half, and Dan Quinn’s first injury update didn’t sound positive. The latest team move made Mariota’s chances of playing on Christmas even slimmer.
Commanders signed QB Jeff Driskel off the Cardinals’ practice squad
Mariota had stitches in his throwing hand, while also dealing with a quad injury, so his status on a short week was very doubtful. That left Josh Johnson and Sam Hartman as the only quarterbacks on the roster. Quinn already shut down any possibilities of Jayden Daniels coming back, so the team had to make another move. The Commanders decided to bring back a familiar face, Jeff Driskel, as a quarterback who is familiar with the system and can fill in if needed.
Driskel spent last season with the Commanders, and he actually showed some flashes with his legs and extending plays in the preseason. He is now on the active roster, but Quinn still isn’t sure what to do just yet for gameday. The clock is ticking for an official decision, which we likely won’t get for a few more days. This decision also shows that they don’t have much faith in Hartman, who had a rough preseason showing anyway.
The Commanders haven’t ruled Marcus Mariota out yet
It’s not looking good for Mariota, but they aren’t ready to rule him out yet. Quinn said that Johnson will be getting the majority of starts in practice as they prepare, however.
Regardless of who plays, this is not the matchup anyone hoped for with a banged-up Commanders roster and an eliminated Cowboys team. The best scenario is watching for younger players to continue to grow and develop for next season, while general manager Adam Peters gets ready for an eventful offseason. Daniels will continue to get healthy and develop as the franchise quarterback of the team, and the Commanders need to go all-in on rebuilding the roster on both sides of the ball to support him.
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