The Philadelphia Eagles won’t be facing Jayden Daniels when they play the Washington Commanders in two of the final three weeks of the 2025 regular season.
Having been officially eliminated from playoff contention, the Commanders are reportedly shutting Daniels down. Former Eagles backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will be Washington’s signal caller the rest of the way.
Honestly, it’s a smart move by the Commanders. Daniels has battled through multiple injury issues this season and he got banged up again when he needlessly returned to action in Week 14. Washington would be kicking themselves if Daniels suffered yet another injury down the stretch in 2025, especially if the recovery carried over into the 2026 season.
Also, it’s not like Mariota is a massive downgrade from this year’s version of Daniels:
It’s worth noting that Mariota’s two winning starts have come over the teams currently projected to pick top two in the 2026 NFL Draft order: the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Giants. Those games account for two of his three highest passer rating performances in 2025.
With the caveat that division games can be weird, Vic Fangio’s defense should be expected to significantly limit Mariota’s production against the Eagles. Between seven interceptions and three lost fumbles, he’s averaging one giveaway per game played in 2025.
For what it’s worth, the Mariota news has seemingly impacted betting considerations for this game. The Eagles are now 6.5-point road favorites, which is up from the 5.5-point opening line (per FanDuel Sportsbook) that was originally posted on Sunday night.
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