Former Falcons quarterback to start for Commanders in Week 3
Former Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota will start for the Washington Commanders this Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders . Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has been ruled out for Week 3 due to a knee injury, setting up Mariota to make his first start in almost three years.
The 31-year-old has appeared in six games over the last two seasons but hasn't started a game since he was with Atlanta in 2022. Mariota passed 2,219 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions that season before losing his job to Desmond Ridder for the final four games. He also rushed for 438 yards and four touchdowns on the ground.
Mariota opted to have knee surgery after getting benched and missed the rest of the 2022 season. Ridder didn't pan out for the Falcons either, leading them to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins and draft Michael Penix Jr . in 2024.
Last season, Mariota passed for 364 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions as Daniels' backup. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn officially named Mariota the team's Week 3 starter on Friday afternoon.
Mariota was originally selected by the Tennessee Titans with the second overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft. After two promising seasons, Mariota struggled in Year 3, passing for 13 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Those struggles continued in 2018 and Mariota was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill .
For his career, Mariota has passed for 16,184 yards, 97 touchdowns and 55 interceptions over 10 NFL seasons. As for Ridder, he has bounced around since being traded by the Falcons in 2024. The former third-round pick just signed with the Minnesota Vikings , who are dealing with a quarterback injury of their own.
Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy was injured in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 22-6 loss to the Falcons. Ridder will serve as Minnesota's No. 2 QB behind Carson Wentz in Week 3.
The Falcons will face the 0-2 Carolina Panthers this weekend on the road. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Former Falcons QB Marcus Mariota to start in NFL Week 3
