ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The biggest question for both the Commanders and the Raiders entering their game Sunday is, quite simply: Will Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels play?

Daniels is the reigning AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and led the Commanders to a surprising 12-5 record a year ago, followed by a trip to the NFC title game. He is the engine that makes their offense go. He is one of the league’s most dynamic players, a skilled passer and runner.

He’s also been dealing with a knee injury that kept him out of practice this week and left his status unclear as of Thursday.

“I’m always talking to Jayden and just encouraging him to, first of all, just take care of himself and know it’s a long season,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “But at the end of the day, we know he’s a competitor, and if any of us are in that situation, we want to be out here and help the team and be able to play.”

If Daniels is unable to go — or if coach Dan Quinn decides it’s best not to risk his best player’s health in Week 3 — then backup Marcus Mariota would get his first NFL start since 2022, when he played for the Atlanta Falcons.

“It’s not going to be exactly the same. But they’re both really big, dual-threat guys that can make big plays. And you have to be ready for whoever that is going to be,” said Maxx Crosby, the Raiders’ star defender. “We’re preparing as if Jayden’s going to play. And then we’ll see what happens. But we’ll be ready for both.”

Both of these clubs are 1-1, and both took similar routes to get there: a victory against a mediocre-to-bad opponent in the season opener, followed by a loss against an elite opponent last week (the New York Giants, then Green Bay Packers, for Washington; the New England Patriots, then Los Angeles Chargers, for Las Vegas).

“Last week, it was: ‘We’re going to Super Bowl!’ This week: ‘Everybody’s the worst player on the planet!’” Crosby joked.

‘Bill’ gets a chance to start for Washington with Ekeler out for the season
Daniels was hardly the only key player for the Commanders to get hurt in Week 2 — and the offense was hit particularly hard. Starting running back Austin Ekeler is done for the season, and wide receiver Noah Brown (groin) and tight end John Bates (groin) missed practice time this week.

On the defensive side, starting defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. is out of the rest of the season, and cornerback Jonathan Jones went on injured reserve.

With Ekeler lost, rookie Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, a seventh-round pick after playing just one game in his last year in college, might get the start and should get more carries than the four he had against Green Bay. He did have 10 runs for 82 yards and a touchdown against the Giants.

“I’ve still got to go out there and do my job and still earn their trust to be the starting running back. I feel like I treat it like I’m still at the bottom. I don’t think (anything) is going to change,” Croskey-Merritt said. “My work ethic still is going to stay the same. I’m just hungry.”

Geno Smith’s interceptions might give the Commanders’ defense hope
Raiders quarterback Geno Smith will try to bounce back from a poor performance, in which he not only threw a trio of interceptions, but also went 0 for 10 on pass attempts that traveled 10 or more yards downfield.

The thing about Smith’s turnovers — he has thrown four picks already, and just one TD toss — is that now he faces a team in the Commanders that does not have a single takeaway.

“A lot of it is as simple as just thinking about it,” Washington linebacker Bobby Wagner said about getting turnovers. “But we need to make it happen.”

The Raiders are waiting for first-round pick Ashton Jeanty to break through
Ashton Jeanty was the No. 6 overall pick in the NFL draft, and the Raiders are waiting for him to show the type of production he had at Boise State. The rookie running back is averaging 2.7 yards per carry — 81 yards on 30 rushes so far.

“I don’t think you draft a guy like me to not give me carries and touches,” Jeanty said, “and I’m ready for the responsibility.”

The Pete Carroll and Dan Quinn coaching connection
The two head coaches — Pete Carroll of Las Vegas and Washington’s Quinn — know each other quite well. Quinn was the defensive coordinator under Carroll with the Seattle Seahawks for two seasons, 2013 and 2014, both of which ended with the team in the Super Bowl.

“I love competing against people that I know,” Carroll said, “and the more I like him, the more I like to beat him.”