The Washington Commanders have determined who their starting quarterback will be this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts.
When a team plays overseas, away from its normal surroundings, plenty of changes and questions come up. However, the Indianapolis Colts don't have to wonder which quarterback the Washington Commanders are starting this Sunday in London.
On Friday morning, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters that normal starting quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow) is out for Sunday, as he's not quite ready to return after dislocating his left elbow two weeks ago against the Dallas Cowboys. In his place, Marcus Mariota will start for a second consecutive week.
Daniels, 0-2 in starts this season, participated in practice all week, but Washington would rather play it safe with their franchise signal-caller.
Mariota won his only start last week against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. In the game-plus that he's filled in for Daniels, Mariota has gone 30-of-47 passing (63.8%) for 294 yards (6.3 YPA), four touchdowns, and no interceptions, and was sacked twice, for a passer rating of 109.7. Mariota has also carried the ball six times for 14 yards (2.3 avg.) and has fumbled once.
Daniels injured his non-throwing elbow at the end of the second quarter in the Commanders' 37-20 Week 2 loss in Dallas. It was the third time he'd injured the elbow since midway through last season. Daniels elected not to have surgery this season so as to return when healthy. He's since been seen at practice wearing a large brace on his elbow.
In a game-and-a-half this season, Daniels is 29-of-51 passing (56.9%) for 260 yards (5.1 YPA), three touchdowns, and no interceptions, and has been sacked once, for a passer rating of 90.3. He's also carried the ball 12 times for 100 yards (8.3 avg.).
The Colts' defense started the season brutally, allowing over 500 yards of offense each to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs in two losses. However, the Colts rebounded last week for a win over the Houston Texans and looked much better on both sides of the ball.
Indianapolis held Houston to 223 yards of offense (153 passing) and 17 points. Texans quarterback CJ Stroud completed just 59.2% of his passes and was sacked three times.
Overall, the Colts' defense still ranks last in the NFL in yardage (417.3 YPG) and are tied for 29th in scoring (30.3 PPG).
The Colts rank 30th in pass defense (276.0 YPG) and 29th in yards per pass attempt (8.8 YPA). They've allowed five passing touchdowns, with no interceptions, but do have seven sacks, which ranks tied for 12th.
