Week 4 turned the quarterback picture into a fresh mess, and the early-season rankings have already started to shake out in a big way. It’s still the kind of year where one good Sunday can move a passer, and one rough outing can send him tumbling. That was the backdrop heading into Week 5, and two new names crashed the board near the bottom.
At No. 32, Tampa Bay’s Jalon Daniels makes his first appearance in the rankings after becoming the first rookie quarterback to start an NFL game this season.
Green Bay made life miserable for him, but Daniels never folded. Even on the final snap, when the Buccaneers faced a 4th-and-gotta-have-it, he was blitzed for a third straight play, got wrapped up around the legs, stayed upright long enough to get a throw off, and watched it fall incomplete.
The stat line was uneven - 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions - but Daniels was under constant heat and the Bucs still had a chance until the end. It was a rough introduction, but not a disastrous one.
Just above him at No. 31 is Washington’s Athan Kaliakmanis, listed as an injury replacement for Marcus Mariota. The Commanders’ injury issues kept rolling, and fans in London wound up seeing the rookie out of Minnesota make his NFL debut after Mariota, who threw only four passes, went down.
Kaliakmanis flashed enough to matter, especially with a deep touchdown strike to Treylon Burks that kept Washington in it for a while. But the game slipped away fast, and Indianapolis’ offense, powered by Jonathan Taylor, took control of the fourth quarter while Washington’s defense couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Kaliakmanis did what a backup is supposed to do when called upon: he came in and let it fly. The Commanders were willing to let him cut it loose, and he handled the moment well enough even in a loss.
There’s also movement looming at quarterback for Washington. Mariota is expected to miss some time after aggravating a knee injury, while Jayden Daniels is set to return next week and play through his latest elbow injury.
In Other News...
Commanders Quarterback Crisis May Force A Familiar Fix
Marcus Mariotas MCL injury has pushed the Commanders deeper into a quarterback bind, with Dan Quinn still waiting on further tests to get a clearer read on how long the veteran might be sidelined. Washington is already working through the recovery of Jayden Daniels, who is coming back from a dislocated elbow, leaving the staff to sort through an increasingly thin room at the games most important position.
Jeff Driskel is one familiar name under consideration as the Commanders evaluate temporary options, and his previous stint with the organization gives the idea some practical appeal. For a team trying to keep the season steady while the injuries stack up, the next move at quarterback could be less about upside than it is about survival. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Fans Have Every Reason To Be Furious After London Loss
The loss in London was made even harder for Commanders fans to stomach because the penalty count told its own story. Washington was flagged 10 times for 84 yards, while Indianapolis drew only one penalty for five yards, and several of the calls against Washington came at moments when the game was hanging in the balance. With the offense already trying to survive with a third-string quarterback, every miscue and every yellow flag seemed to chip away at any chance to find a rhythm.
For a team already dealing with injuries and a brutal stretch of the schedule, the frustration is easy to understand. The Commanders did not just lose on the scoreboard, they also left with a sense that the flow of the game kept tilting away from them at the worst possible times. For fans who have watched the season get harder by the week, a penalty-filled defeat overseas only added to the sense that nothing is coming easy right now. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Finally Near A Jayden Daniels Return With One Big Catch
After the loss to the Colts, Dan Quinn said the Commanders are hopeful Jayden Daniels can make it back for Week 5 against the Giants, a timeline that would at least steady a quarterback room that has been stretched thin. Daniels was limited in practice this week, but the expectation is that he should be full go when Washington ramps up for the next game, an encouraging sign for a player who has already dealt with two dislocated elbows in less than a year.
The bigger complication is what sits behind him. Marcus Mariota is getting further testing after aggravating a preseason MCL injury, and third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis was forced into Sundays game, where he threw a touchdown and an interception. Even with Daniels trending the right way, Washington still has to sort through how much depth it will have available if the return is delayed or if the next hit to the depth chart comes before he is fully settled back in. [Read more 🡒]