Commanders Q+a: Can Washington Win Second Straight Without Jayden Daniels?

It’s crazy how much different this week fells now that the Commanders have a win. Doom and gloom dominated last week’s narrative, with Washington reeling after a second straight NFC East loss and Jayden Daniels dislocated his elbow.  

Beating the reigning Super Bowl champs will put some pep in your step. Doing so with a backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota only served to validate the effort, which featured some excellent run defense and performance under pressure.

Daniels is back and practicing already but won’t play on Sunday, yet the vibes are high around Commanders football after how Mariota performed in his last start.  

Can Washington keep them going with a win over Indianapolis on Sunday morning (ET) at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London? 

Here are five key questions heading into this matchup. Answer them for us in the article comments below and we’ll bring the best responses up for posting in the main story by Saturday morning:  

Question 1: Marcus Mariota will start a second straight Commanders game on Sunday, a week after he didn’t make mistakes but didn’t pile on the yards. What must Mariota improve upon from for Washington to get another win without Jayden Daniels? 

Question 2: Colts running back Jonathan Taylor versus the Commanders run defense is a good-on-good matchup. Which Washington players must step up to slow Taylor down? 

Question 3: As you look at the Colts defense and advantageous matchups against it heading into Sunday, who will lead the Commanders in receiving yards and why? 

Question 4: Bill Croskey-Merritt had a relatively slow start to the season, with inefficient per-carry averages and without explosive runs, save one that a penalty negated. What’s your take on his start to the season? Where’s your level of concern, if any? 

Question 5: There’s always someone unexpected who steps up and plays an important role in a victory (i.e. Kain Medrano in Week 3). Who will be the unsung hero if the Commanders are to beat the Colts?