On Sunday, the Washington Commanders fell back into the loss column with an ugly loss at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts overseas. The Commanders started backup Marcus Mariota in place of Jayden Daniels in this one, but he too went down with an injury, forcing the team to turn to Athan Kaliakmanis in his absence, with subpar results to show for it.

Now, the team has gotten the latest update on Mariota's injury status moving forward.

“Quinn said they're optimistic with Mariota will follow a similar path as his first sprained MCL. Probably miss two games then a bye. Of course if Jayden Daniels stays healthy, then no need for Mariota,” reported NFL insider John Keim of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.

Keim also reported that “Confidence is there he can return within a couple weeks. Similar timetable to camp when he was hurt Aug 14 and returned to practice Sept. 1. Also saw enough good things from AK vs. the Colts.”

Overall, Mariota has been a very serviceable backup for the Commanders amid Daniels' frequent injury absences over the last couple of years. Meanwhile, Daniels is expected to be back in the lineup soon after dislocating his elbow in ugly fashion in a Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

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While the Commanders recently picked up an improbable win over the reigning champion Seattle Seahawks with Mariota under center, they'll still want the former Offensive Rookie of the Year back in the lineup as soon as possible.

They'll next hit the field on Sunday vs the New York Giants at home.