It’s Marcus Mariota time again for the Commanders — but he won’t have Washington’s top receiver this time around.
Commanders star quarterback Jayden Daniels will miss a second straight game Sunday with a knee injury, while Terry McLaurin will be sidelined against the Falcons with a quad issue.
Daniels initially suffered his knee injury during Washington’s Week 2 loss to the Packers on “Thursday Night Football” and did not practice leading into the team’s Week 3 game, despite the extended timeline.
The Commanders ultimately did not need him in a 41-24 win over the Raiders.
Daniels managed limited practices Wednesday and Thursday to give himself a shot to play Sunday against Atlanta, but Commanders coach Dan Quinn said the doctors haven’t yet cleared him.
The quarterback said Thursday he felt “good.”
“He’s working incredibly hard, around the clock to get back,” Quinn said Friday. “Ultimately, doctors haven’t cleared him just yet. He’s absolutely doing everything he possibly can.”
McLaurin tallied three catches for 74 yards to help aid Mariota in Week 3, but it came at a cost with the receiver suffering his quad injury while being tackled at the one-yard line on a 56-yard catch.
Reports emerged that McLaurin sought a second opinion on his quad, and he did not practice Wednesday.
“Working as hard as he can to come back from it,” Quinn said. “He’s putting all the work in, so I would say he’s week-to-week as we’re hitting it, see what next week brings and where he’s at.
“When it turns, it goes quicker, so where he gets into next week.”
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Without McLaurin, Mariota will thus have a harder time Sunday on the road against the Falcons (1-2) after he made easy work of the Raiders.
The veteran completed 15 of 21 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 40 yards and one score.
The Commanders are 2.5-point underdogs at BetMGM.
