Marcus Mariota wore a funereal look on his face as he addressed the media in the locker room following Jayden Daniels' injury at the end of the Washington Commanders' 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Like the rest of his teammates, Mariota's focus was on Daniels, who was escorted to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a cast on his hand. Daniels was later diagnosed with a dislocated left elbow, and while the team is still deciding on Daniels' next step, head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that it would keep Daniels out for extended time.
The injury is the latest wrinkle in what has been a frustrating season for Daniels. A knee sprain and hamstring injury forced him to miss three games earlier in the season. Now, with no timetable on his return, he's set to miss even more as the Commanders' playoff hopes slip farther out of reach by the week.
It's a situation Mariota is familiar with, as he dealt with injuries earlier in his career that kept him sidelined for several key games. That experience has helped him guide Daniels through the rough patch in his second season and provide some advice for the young quarterback.
"I think for all of us…wanna make sure Jay [Daniels] understands those things are out of your control," Mariota said. "Focus on getting healthy, getting right, and everything else will take care of itself."
Mariota knows what it feels like to have an injury that derails a season. He never played a full season during his five seasons with the Tennessee Titans, as he sustained an MCL sprain as a rookie; a fractured fibula in 2016; a hamstring issue in 2017; and an elbow injury in 2018. The Titans went 2-6 in games without Mariota, including a season finale loss to the Indianapolis Colts in 2017 that eliminated them from playoff contention.
Mariota is also aware of the pressure that comes with his situation. Like Daniels, Mariota was a No. 2 overall pick by a Titans organization that was in need of a rebuild. Mariota's draft status, plus the state of the Titans' roster during that time, put him in a position where he needed to carry the offense as they tried to become playoff contenders.
The emotions that came with missing those games weighed heavily on Mariota's mind.
"It just felt like a burden, like I was letting guys down," Mariota said. "I was letting the team down, letting the franchise down, the organization down."
If those thoughts have crossed Daniels' mind, he hasn't shown it to his teammates. Mariota said Daniels is still around and in good spirits. It's one of the many things about Daniels that Mariota views as unique.
"That doesn't change for Jay and that's something that's really special about him," Mariota said. "So, he is always around. He's around in meetings, and I think the more that he is around guys, guys appreciate it."
And Daniels' teammates are doing their part to make sure they support him. For them, the most important thing is to remind Daniels that he is not alone.
"You just pray for the kid and hope it's not as serious as it looks," Mariota said after the game. "But at the same time, you just gotta be there for him and support him ... Football is a violent game, and it's something that we understand going into it. With that being said, it still hurts."
The Commanders are gathering opinions about Daniels' injury and will have one more meeting to determine what his recovery plan will look like. Quinn has not ruled anything out yet, which means Daniels could be placed on Injured Reserve or could even return at some point in the season. The Commanders made a roster move that placed both cornerback Marshon Lattimore and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey on Injured Reserve. Daniels' name was notably not part of the move.
The Commanders' focus right now is simply making sure whatever decision they come to is the best move for Daniels.
"He's the face of the franchise," Mariota said. "And the more that we can get him healthy, get him ready to go, it'll be good for everybody."
