Marcus Mariota Win Super Bowl Ring With Washington Commanders? Jayden Daniels Mentor

Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Washington Commanders defeated the Detroit Lions and will advance to the NFC Championship Game with a Super Bowl berth on the line. Can former Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota get a ring with the Commanders?

Oct 27, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) and quarterback Marcus Mariota (18) talk to each other during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Commanders Field. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

After defeating the Detroit Lions 45-31 on Saturday night, the Washington Commanders have advanced to the NFC Championship Game with a Super Bowl appearance at stake. The Commanders were big underdogs against the Lions, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels led Washington into Detroit and came away with the win.

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota is the Commanders' backup quarterback behind Daniels, and he has a chance to win his first Super Bowl ring in his 10-year NFL career. With Washington Mariota has taken on a mentorship role for the franchise's star rookie.

Oct 27, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) and quarterback Marcus Mariota (18) talk to each other during the first half against the Chicago Bears at Commanders Field. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

In Week 17 the Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime to clinch a playoff spot. Before the game-winning touchdown pass from the rookie quarterback, Mariota gave a pep talk to a winded Daniels during Washington's timeout. The moment between the two quarterbacks went viral after being caught on NFL Films' microphones.

“Stand up, catch your air, get your wind and go out there and execute," Mariota said to Daniels. "Use your God-given abilities and let's go win this game."

"Stand up, get your air... use your god-given ability. Go win us the game."

Marcus Mariota's words to Jayden Daniels before the OT game-winner 🙏

(via @NFLFilms) pic.twitter.com/cgyGgwCAvM

— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2024

After the game Daniels told the media about Mariota's impact on his rookie season. Like Daniels, the former Oregon Ducks quarterback won the Heisman Trophy in college and was selected No. 2 overall in the NFL Draft.

"I mean, it just continues breathing confidence in life into an individual, and speaking positive," the rookie quarterback said after the game. "Everybody's just seen it now, but he's been doing that ever since I got here."

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Mariota played one snap against Detroit in the Saturday night's playoff game, and it was a failed fourth-down conversion. Still, he has been featured in many short yardage situations and trick plays for Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

After Daniels left Washington's Week 7 game against the Carolina Panthers with a rib injury, the former Oregon Duck led the Commanders to a 40-7 win, throwing for two touchdowns and 205 yards.

Jan 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against Detroit Lions in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Before the 2024 season began, Commanders coach Dan Quinn spoke with reporters about Mariota's presence in the locker room. The Washington coach called the veteran quarterback's experience "gold" for his team's locker room.

“In a perfect scenario,” said Quinn, “a young quarterback would have a leader to also learn from, but perfect rarely happens. But we do have that in Marcus Mariota. Him sharing nine years of gold with Jayden, I think, has been something that’s really cool for us to see. Rookie quarterbacks usually don’t get that, and we do.”

Mariota has some playoff experience in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans. As the starter, he is 1-1 in his playoff career with a game-winning drive against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. The Titans reached the AFC Championship game in 2020 with Ryan Tannehill as the team's starter and Mariota as the backup.

Can the former Oregon Duck go farther than he's ever gone in the playoffs? The Commanders will face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles after they beat the Los Angeles Rams 28-22 on Sunday.

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