Marcus Mariota will be in the spotlight on Sunday as he will try to lead the Washington Commanders past the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. It will be an acid test for Mariota, as he will have to figure out the defending champions.
There will be extra pressure to perform as the replacement for Jayden Daniels, who is out indefinitely due to an elbow injury. At 32 years old, it is not exactly Mariota's first rodeo, but he has a lot of productivity to fill.
According to NBC4 Sports' JP Finlay, Mariota said he likes to be the “point guard” and give scoring opportunities to his teammates.
“The more that I can get these guys the ball, the playmakers, especially faster, the more space they get, the more they can do with it. I used to joke that they tackle the guy with the ball, so the more I can get it out of my hands, then by all means,” explained Mariota.
“But in the same token, it takes a lot, right? Your offensive line has to be able to hold. Our guys upfront, the receivers, they gotta get open in that type of timing. So, it takes a collective group effort.”
Marcus Mariota says he likes to be the point guard, get the ball out fast. He jokes “they tackle the guy with the ball so I’m happy not to be tackled” pic.twitter.com/SezuchYT3j
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) September 23, 2026
Mariota was thrown into the fire on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys after Daniels went down in the second quarter. The veteran quarterback went 11-of-16 for 111 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions.
His effort, however, was not enough. The Commanders lost, 37-20, and fell to 0-2.
Despite the defeat, coach Dan Quinn maintained his confidence in Mariota, adding that the team will “rally really hard around him” until Daniels returns to action.
Last season, Mariota started eight games when Daniels was out with an elbow injury.