With Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin officially ruled out, the Falcons are staring at a must win on Sunday.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and WR Terry McLaurin have been ruled out for Week 4. pic.twitter.com/VOOwqeWci0
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) September 26, 2025
Washington head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that his dynamic rookie quarterback and top receiver won’t play in Week 4, leaving former Falcons starter Marcus Mariota to make his second straight start.
Tight end John Bates and wideout Noah Brown are also sidelined, stripping the Commanders of even more key depth pieces on the offensive side of the ball.
In a league where breaks rarely come easy, this is as big of one as Atlanta could possibly ask for.
The Falcons cannot squander this opportunity in Week 4
The Falcons are 1-2, recovering from a 30-0 shutout in Carolina that raised serious questions about their offensive identity as a whole.
Michael Penix Jr. has shown flashes of talent but also the struggles that come with inexperience. His early season stat line (one touchdown, two interceptions, a 58.6% completion rate) has already dropped him near the bottom of the quarterback rankings.
Losing to Carolina was bad. Losing to a Commanders team missing its top playmakers would be far worse, because it would confirm fears that the Falcons can’t win even when handed an advantage.
And for Penix Jr., this game is about far more than just the standings. It’s actually proving that he can actually be Atlanta’s long term answer.
Facing Mariota, the very player he replaced in the Falcons’ quarterback carousel, adds another layer of pressure. A clean performance from Penix would not only silence critics for a week but also prove he can steady the offense when circumstances favor Atlanta.
The Falcons built their future around Penix, Bijan Robinson, and Drake London. Games like this are exactly the ones where a franchise quarterback has to show he can deliver, not by flashing talent, but by simply winning.
The Commanders’ injuries won’t last forever. Daniels and McLaurin could be back as soon as next week, which means the advantage Atlanta holds right now is temporary. This is the type of break that playoff teams capitalize on, and the type of game that struggling teams look back on as a turning point if they don’t.
Atlanta has been given a huge gift. Now it’s on the Falcons to prove they’re capable of taking advantage of it as they attempt to show fans, critics, and themselves that this season isn’t already slipping away entering the Week 5 bye.