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Commanders Make Official Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin Decisions for Falcons Game

Not a good sign just two days ahead of Washington's Week 4 game at the Falcons.

Dan Lyons

The Commanders may be without both quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Terry McLaurin on Sunday at the Falcons.
The Commanders may be without both quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Terry McLaurin on Sunday at the Falcons. / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
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The NFL season is still in its first month, and significant injuries are starting to pile up for the Commanders. Friday's practice dulled any optimism that Washington could have quarterback Jayden Daniels or wide receiver Terry McLaurin back in time for Sunday's game at the Falcons.

Daniels is recovering from a sprained knee that cost him last weekend's game against the Raiders. McLaurin suffered a quad injury during that game.

News had been relatively positive on both players over the last few days. Daniels returned to practice as a limited participant on Wednesday, and on Thursday it was reported that McLaurin's injury would not require surgery. However, things appear to be trending in the wrong direction for both players ahead of Sunday's game, as neither player took the field at Friday's practice. Shortly after the absences were reported, both players were officially ruled out for the Week 4 game in Atlanta.

Commanders to Start Marcus Mariota With Jayden Daniels Out for Week 4 at Falcons

The Commanders offense acquitted itself well with backup quarterback Marcus Mariota in the lineup against Las Vegas, winning 41–24 behind 207 passing yards and a touchdown for the former Heisman winner. The team dominated on the ground, with five players combining for 201 yards and three scores.

McLaurin led the team with 74 receiving yards and three catches, so Mariota will be without the team's star wide receiver on Sunday.

In addition to the start, Mariota—who had a trying single-season stint with the Falcons in 2022—will serve as one of Washington's captains for the game.

Atlanta is coming off of a pretty baffling 30–0 blowout loss at the hands of the Panthers, so that may be a risk the Commanders are willing to take to get two of the offense's most important players back to full health.

Sunday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Editors' Note: This story has been updated to reflect that Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin havebeen ruled out for the Commanders' Week 4 game.

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Dan Lyons
DAN LYONS

Dan Lyons is a staff writer and editor on Sports Illustrated's Breaking and Trending News team. He joined SI for his second stint in November 2024 after a stint as a senior college football writer at Athlon Sports, and a previous run with SI spanning multiple years as a writer and editor. Outside of sports, you can find Dan at an indie concert venue or movie theater.

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