The Denver Broncos will return from their bye on Sunday Night Football in Week 13 against the Washington Commanders. At 3-8, the Commanders are not the team that contended for a Super Bowl last year, but they are obviously a much bigger threat with starting quarterback Jayden Daniels on the field.
Daniels dislocated his elbow in a horrific-looking injury earlier this month, but it sounds like there is a chance that he will play against the Broncos, according to ESPN's Dan Graziano.
"As for Daniels, the Commanders have a bye this week and will examine everything. They've lost six games in a row to drop to 3-8 in what looked like a promising season, and there has been external debate about whether it makes sense to bring back Daniels at all this season. From what I've been told, the plan in Washington is still that Daniels will return to the starting lineup once doctors clear him from his elbow injury", said Graziano.
A playoff berth is likely out of reach for the Commanders, so it certainly makes sense to sit Daniels for the rest of the season. If he's out again, Marcus Mariota would draw another start for Washington.
The playoffs are not only in sight for the Broncos, but home-field advantage as the AFC's No. 1 seed is now the goal. Stumbling against a bad Washington team would be a big blow to those plans, so the Broncos will need to come out of their bye week focused. The Commanders were also on a bye in Week 12 and will have had just as much rest as Denver.
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No team in the NFL can be overlooked and this game will be on the road. If Daniels is back in the lineup under all of those circumstances, the Commanders are not your average 3-8 team.
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