Looking Ahead: How Much Trouble Are the Commanders In Without Jayden Daniels?

The Washington Commanders have yet to play a home game, and most fans are already considering 2026 as a lost season. An early 0-2 record is discouraging on its own, but Commanders fans are understandably struggling to stay optimistic after Jayden Daniels' suffered an elbow dislocation for the second straight season, as he's set to hit the shelf just six quarters into his return to regular-season football.

While a few already-feared division rivals in the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys have already knocked the Commanders on their behinds, that doesn't mean that their schedule is expected to ease up anytime soon.

Head coach Dan Quinn is holding off until later in the week with further medical updates on Daniels. Assuming the star quarterback can return by Washington's Week 7 bye, here are some of the challenges his remaining teammates will face in managing any Daniels-less wins in the meantime.

Week 3: Commanders Host the Reigning-Super Bowl Champs

The Commanders' home opener is against the Seattle Seahawks, a group that's inverted the Commanders' winless record through their own two-game start.

They haven't let their own quarterback injuries get in their way, leaning on the same Mike Macdonald-coached defense that guided the Seahawks to the NFL's mountaintop earlier this year. Sam Darnold's been given the luxury to rehabilitate while backup distributor Drew Lock chews up his minutes; now the question is whether Daniels' backup, Marcus Mariota, can keep the Commanders' heads above water through the testy month to come.

Drew Lock has 4 TD - 0 INT, 400+ yards & a 73% completion percentage since taking over for an injured Sam Darnold.

And he’s 2-0 pic.twitter.com/ujSV8zl3mJ
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) September 21, 2026

If a matchup were ever built to knock him down to earth following his positive showing in Dallas, it would take the form of this vaunted defense.

Week 4: Commanders Set for Season's First AFC Brush

Here's where the Commanders will get one of their clearest shots at a first win of the season, though even a team like the Indianapolis Colts, which also missed the playoffs last year, poses a formidable risk.

They only just succumbed to the familiar-looking Kansas City Chiefs in one of Week 2's nationally televised showings, taking Patrick Mahomes and friends to overtime while flashing their quietly deep assortment of playmakers. They, too, sit at an unimpressive 0-2, but the Colts have much more continuity to show for themselves than the Commanders' own rapidly growing injured list.

Week 5: Commanders Welcome their Final Division Rival to Town

The Commanders have taken great joy in their New York Giants matchups since Daniels seized control of the franchise's direction. Washington has gone 4-0 against the NFC East's bottom-dwellers since Daniels arrived, including the first win he ever notched as a pro. Even last year, an injury-plagued season that included a mere five victories, two such successes arrived at the Giants' expense.

This year, though, may be different, especially if the Commanders lack the young, mobile quarterback to counter Jaxson Dart at the head of the Giants' attack. Just compare the two squads' attempts against the Cowboys; while New York's defense managed to hold strong, Washington's assortment of pass-rushers, inside linebackers, and blitzing backs seemed to take a big step back against the same offense that fell short at MetLife Stadium. These Giants wouldn't have been an automatic win even with Daniels, so fans should expect even more on Mariota's shoulders.

Washington Commanders Quarterback Marcus Mariota — Dec 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 6: Commanders Set Out for Season's First West Coast Trip

Again, we won't know for sure how many weeks Daniels will miss while aggravating his troublesome elbow. Former quarterback-turned-analyst Kurt Warner claims to have suffered from a similar hiccup before, shining light on the idea that Daniels could potentially avoid surgery. Warner's wife wanted to add some context to those comments, saying, "BTW: it is also true that because you played with a brace on, now you can’t straighten your arm, can’t do yoga, can’t lift me in the dirty dancing lift. So that’s the truth."

“I suffered the exact same injury back in ’07, and I played the next week.”@kurt13warner believes Jayden Daniels has the chance to play through his elbow injury 👀 pic.twitter.com/P7YlY7tVpz
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 21, 2026

In light of my comments on #NFLLive about playing after elbow dislocation, a quote from @WarnerBrenda:

“BTW: it is also true that because you played with a brace on now you can’t straighten your arm, can’t do yoga, can’t lift me in the dirty dancing lift. So that’s the truth”…
— Kurt Warner (@kurt13warner) September 22, 2026

But should the Commanders take the cautious route- something they've routinely passed up in managing their brittle field general- they may consider keeping him out for the team's final matchup heading into their Week 7 bye. The San Francisco 49ers, a team that dealt with quite a few injuries of their own over an offseason to forget, haven't let their old holdups cost them any games in accruing back-to-back wins to open their season.

Except unlike the top-heavy Commanders, who are now down their two top players in Daniels and 5x Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, the 49ers are well-rounded enough to persevere through quarterback injuries, having demonstrated as such during Mac Jones' eight starts across his productive 2025 stint. Their still-fearsome defense is strong enough to pick on Washington's interior, yet another reminder of the tough road awaiting the Daniels-less lineup.

At the very least, the Commanders had a prayer in scoring shootout situations with a dynamic dual threat leading the charge, but now must turn to their game-managing backup in managing the storm.

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