Marcus Mariota will be running a short-handed offense for the Commanders on Sunday with two major pieces out with an injury
It will be an uphill battle for the Commanders on Sunday.
The Washington Commanders have already ruled franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels out on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, with Marcus Mariota getting the start. It won’t be an easy start with the Commanders’ offense missing two major pieces that were also injured in the loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Mariota will try to get the Commanders a bounce-back win without a top receiving option and a much-needed blocker on Sunday after the final injury report ruled them both out.
John Bates and Noah Brown are both OUT on Sunday
Losing your starting quarterback for a game isn’t ideal, and losing two big pieces on offense just makes it worse, but that’s what the Commanders will have to deal with on Sunday with tight end John Bates and wide receiver Noah Brown officially out.
Bates has been one of the best blocking tight ends in the league, and he is needed in a big way with the offensive line struggling on the right side. The Commanders already announced that Andrew Wylie would start over Nick Allegretti at right guard, but the rookie right tackle, Josh Conerly Jr, really needs those chips and double teams from Bates as well. The offense needs to establish the run as well, and that’s where Bates thrives, as he often opens up lanes and seals the edge for running backs.
Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury talked about how hard it is to replace Bates, and how much the offense will miss having him out there.
“Yeah, it’s not easy,” Kingsbury said. “There’s no doubt. That showed up the other night. He’s a big part of what we do in the run game and has really helped us be successful there. And so, we’ll just have to be creative with the other bodies we have and mix things up, but to have a guy at the point of attack that we feel is pretty dominant like him and not be able to game plan with him makes it tough.”
Brown has been a solid wide receiver for the Commanders, and doesn’t have much production this season, but the offense has struggled to get the passing game going, and they can’t afford to lose a veteran piece like him. Surprisingly enough, Brown actually has the best separation score out of every Commander wide receiver right now, who are struggling to separate as a group. Mariota will have to feed Terry McLaurin, Zach Ertz, and Deebo Samuel on Sunday for the Commanders to have a chance.
Washington Commanders News
3 matchups to watch that will ultimately decide if the Commanders can get a bounce-back win against the Raiders
These matchups will decide who wins the game on Sunday.
