The bye week is over, and the Chicago Bears will soon return to work in preparation for their Week 8 game against the Washington Commanders. However, the quarterback this Bears team will face is up in the air as the week begins.
Jayden Daniels left Washington’s 40-7 win against the Carolina Panthers in the first quarter with injured ribs and did not return in the second half. Not that he had to, mind you. The Commanders were blowing the doors off the Panthers and Marcus Mariota (Daniels’ replacement) ultimately went 18-for-23 for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Hence, there was no reason to push the envelope and re-insert the rookie quarterback into a lopsided affair against a bad team.
CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones shared a positive update from Daniels’ mother during the game, but more testing is on the horizon:
More tests are coming for Commanders QB Jayden Daniels
FOX NFL insider Jordan Schultz hears more testing is in Jayden Daniels’ immediate future as the team tries to get a feel for the severity of the injury. I suppose the good news is that the initial tests showed no fractures. And if further testing confirms this, then I’d fully expect Daniels to be available when the Commanders host the Bears in this week’s game.
On the one hand, I don’t necessarily care who the Washington football team starts at quarterback. I just want to see the Bears defense lock them up and bring a win back home to Chicago. But on the other hand, this is a marquee matchup pitting the 2024 No. 1 overall pick (Bears QB Caleb Williams) and the No. 2 selection (Commanders QB Jayden Daniels) in a matchup deemed so juicy that CBS Sports flexed it out of the noon slot and into the prime afternoon viewing window that comes with a 3:25 p.m. CT start time.
BOOM! Bears-Commanders Week 8 Game Gets the Flex Treatment From CBS Sports
Jayden Daniels has racked up Rookie of the Week awards seemingly every week. The LSU product and 2023 Heisman Trophy winner has completed passes at a league-leading 75.6 percent clip, thrown for 1,410 yards, and six touchdowns (against just two interceptions) while posting an impressive 107.0 passer rating. Meanwhile, Caleb Williams is coming off a bye week after winning Air Player of the Week honors for his efforts against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. This upcoming Williams-Daniels matchup could be the first of many between two players whose trajectories are pointing skyward at the moment. Of course, Daniels will need to be healthy for that storyline to play out. Stay tuned.