The Las Vegas Raiders are in need of a bounce-back win after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. Pete Carroll and his team will travel to the nation’s capital to face the Washington Commanders.
Moreover, the Silver and Black could face a Commanders side without their best player, Jayden Daniels. The Washington quarterback suffered a left knee injury last Thursday in the loss to the Green Bay Packers, casting doubt on his availability for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.
On September 17, the Commanders‘ head coach, Dan Quinn, provided an update on the issue.
“So Jayden had a good rehab session [on September 17],” Quinn told reporters (h/t Scott Abraham of 7News DC). “He also threw out in the field, he won’t practice today. And then, as we get into Friday, I’ll give you an assessment of where we’re at after we go through practice on Friday.”
Commanders Will Be Cautious With Jayden Daniels
While Washington, like Las Vegas, will want to have a bounce-back win, and Daniels will want to be out there, Quinn and the coaching staff are being cautious. It’s only Week 3, so they don’t want to risk their star quarterback aggravating an injury and being out longer than needed.
“We’re going through that process,” Quinn added. “That’s him as a competitor, but we also recognize the importance of the person, the player, what he means to the franchise. So we’re also going to be smart, not just fast, in this assessment. But this is a player that’s absolutely wanting to do everything all the time.
“So it was a good start to the week for us, throwing the movements at the position. So I know we’ve talked a little bit about return to play, but there are position-specific skills that you do for each one. So he hit those today, which was a good start. And then, like I said, I’ll give you the final update on Friday.”
Raiders QB Geno Smith Will Be Motivated
Although it’s uncertain whether Daniels will play, the Raiders will have their starting quarterback under center. Moreover, Geno Smith will be looking for a bounce-back performance after a disastrous showing on Monday Night Football against the Chargers.
Smith completed 24 of 43 passes for 180 yards with his three interceptions. Furthermore, the veteran quarterback couldn’t find the end zone in the challenging loss.
“I’ve got to learn from it,” Smith told reporters postgame. “You know what I mean? This game is all about learning from your experiences. This is a game—again, I’ve had similar games in the past where the ball has bounced in an unfortunate way, or decisions haven’t [been] the best on a given play, or the best throw. That’s a part of the game.
“But you can never just say you can flush it. You’ve got to learn from it. I’m going to be super hard on myself—extremely hard on myself—because that’s all I know. I’m going to get better this week; I’m going to find ways to get better from, and we’ll be better as a team as well.”
Commanders Give Jayden Daniels Injury Update Before Raiders Game