Dan Quinn addressed the giant elephant in the room after the Commanders suffered another injury to a key player on a short week
Marcus Mariota needed stitches in his throwing hand, which leaves a major QB decision for Dan Quinn, but Jayden Daniels is not an option.
The Washington Commanders looked ready to play spoiler at home against the Philadelphia Eagles, but one key injury pulled the plug on those plans.
The Commanders came out in the second half with a 10-7 lead, but then quarterback Marcus Mariota went down with an injury and never returned. Veteran Josh Johnson had to take over, and it went all downhill from there.
Head coach Dan Quinn gave an update on Mariota that really took the Christmas spirit out of the air, and of course, addressed the elephant in the room.
Dan Quinn gives a pessimistic injury update on Marcus Mariota
Mariota has been a solid backup for the Commanders, who ended up playing way more than anyone would’ve liked with Jayden Daniels dealing with multiple injuries. Well, now Mariota is the injured one, and his status for the Christmas Day game against the Dallas Cowboys is in serious doubt, unfortunately.
“Let’s start with Marcus [Mariota],” Quinn said. He had stitches on his right hand, and he is also dealing with a quad injury. Week 16, every team’s dealing with stuff, but for guys like Marcus, fighting hard, we know how much he means to us as a leader, and so we’re certainly disappointed for him. We’ll see really day-to-day as it’s going to go, and I’ll give you updates through the week on where he is at.”
Mariota had his throwing hand stepped on and got stitches to repair the damage done. That’s not great news with a game just days away on a very short week. Quinn didn’t sound too positive about him playing, and left the door open to many possibilities, while quickly shutting down the biggest question: Jayden Daniels.
Jayden Daniels playing is not an option for the Commanders
Quinn was, of course, asked about the availability of Daniels with Mariota being injured, and he quickly shut down any possibilities of that happening.
“We would not consider playing Jayden [Daniels],” Quinn said. “So, the first two options are the ones you were leading into of Josh [Johnson] and Sam [Hartman]. Would we consider somebody else coming in if he’s not able to? Yeah, all those are on the table. That’s something that Adam [Peters] and I are discussing tonight, and we did today. But yeah, option A and B, as you had said, but not C.”
The Commanders have a decision to make at QB, and there’s only one right answer
It’s very unlikely Mariota will play on Christmas Day, and now the Commanders need to decide who to start this week and give them every rep in practice. Starting the 39-year old veteran Johnson would be the most pointless decision to make, and just another bad call by Quinn. They might as well start Hartman and let him get more reps to see if he can be a backup, or move on this offseason and bring in another young option.
The Commanders need a youth movement on the roster, and that’s including in the quarterback room behind Daniels, just in case he misses anymore games moving forward. It’s already a lost season, and playing johnson who shouldn’t be around next season, would be pointless.
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