For Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota, this week is a little different for him with an injury cloud hanging over Jayden Daniels.
Suffering a sprained knee in the loss to the Green Bay Packers, Daniels is looking like a long shot to play against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 3...but he hasn't been ruled out yet, and we are halfway through the week.
That can be tough on a player like Mariota, who doesn't know if he will play or not.
Luckily for the former first-round pick, he's approaching it like it's any other week.
“For me, I've always tried to approach it the same,” Mariota said. “So, I always try to approach it like I'm going to play. That way, if the scenario happens where I'm given the opportunity to play, nothing changes for me on a week-to-week basis, my routine stays the same. I think it just creates that normal procedure for me and allows me just to go out there and play and not have to worry about, okay, I got to do this extra, I got to do that.
"l just stick to my process and allow that process to work.”
MORE: Insider drops huge injury update on Commanders' Jayden Daniels
Mariota more than capable of stepping in
This is why teams place such a premium on having a good backup quarterback, because in this case, there isn't any doubt that Mariota can fill in for a week and get a win over the Raiders - he's done it before.
He stepped in for Daniels last season twice, in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers (18 of 23 for 205 yards, two touchdowns) and in Week 18 against the Dallas Cowboys (15 of 18 for 161 yards, two touchdowns), and he won both games.
So, the Commanders' coaching staff knows what they have in Marcus, and he feels confident in his ability to go out and put on a show to help the team move past last week's loss.
As odd as it sounds, Washington might be just fine without Daniels.
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