The Denver Broncos are going for win No. 10 on the season as they take on the Washington Commanders on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 13 in a matchup billed before the season as a showdown between 2024 draftmates
However, the latest news around the game has reshaped that narrative.
Nix and the Broncos will still face a former No. 2 overall pick against the Commanders, just not Daniels.
GettyJayden Daniels #5 of the Washington Commanders looks on during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Daniels has drawn attention all week with his return to practice ahead of facing Nix, who was selected 12th in last year’s draft, and the Broncos. The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year suffered an elbow injury in Week 9 against the
However, despite Daniels making “great progress,” Commanders head coach Dan Quinn put the speculation to bed once and for all on Friday.
That was even as Daniels again
“It’s a day-by-day process. Just kind of getting back into a rhythm, and get in the flow of things,” Daniels told reporters on November 25. “Gotta go out there and play football. If I’m back out there, I’m healthy, and I’m ready to go, I want to be out there.”
Instead, the Broncos will face 11th-year veteran Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 pick in 2015 by the Tennessee Titans.
Mariota has a 35-44 career record as a starter.
He has had stints with the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders, and Philadelphia Eagles and has thrown for 17,249 yards, 104 touchdowns, and 60 interceptions on 63.1% completion during his career.
GettyBo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos walks off the field after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs.
Daniels’ continued absence is a blow to the Commanders in a season gone awry. The Commanders enter Week 13 against Nix and the Broncos as losers of six straight with a 3-8 record this season, including 1-4 with Mariota under center.
Both teams are coming off their bye weeks.
The Broncos, though, have won eight straight outings. They have defeated the last two Super Bowl champions, the Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, this season.
“We put ourself in this position now to put ourself in that position [to get homefield advantage in the playoffs] then,” Nix told reporters on November 26. “The job’s definitely not even close to being finished yet. But we have put ourself in the spot to obtain it. And so, that’s the part of the journey. You got to put yourself in a situation to get it there at the end, and grab hold of it. But it’s right there in front of us.
“You don’t get these opportunities a lot. They’re definitely hard to come by. So, got to make sure that you take it and not miss it. You don’t get these a lot. And, obviously, this is my first time, and I’m definitely excited and eager to keep going about it and find a way to get it done.”
That means Nix and the Broncos know avoiding potential trap games like this is key.
Daniels may be out for the Commanders. However, sloppy play can doom any team. Even one that has performed so well this far into a season like Nix and the Broncos have.
The Celtics could be shorthanded when they face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Neemias Queta remains questionable after spraining his left ankle in Sunday’s win over the Orlando Magic, while
It’s a good sign that Queta is already listed as questionable after pre-emptively being ruled out for the Celtics game against the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.
“[He’s] day-to-day,” Joe Mazzulla said on Wednesday. “We’ll just kind of assess him every day. He got a little bit better today than he was when it initially happened. So we’ll just kind of take it from there each day, see how he is.”
In a 117-114 win over the Pistons, the Celtics turned to rookie two-way center Amari Williams for 15 minutes in Queta’s place. Williams tallied two blocks and three rebounds in his first real stint as an NBA player, and garnered praise from his teammates.
“That was impressive from Amari,” said Jaylen Brown. “I’m not gonna lie, he hasn’t been with us. A lot of pressure, high-profile game — to come in and make an impact? Credit to him.”
Luka Garza earned his first start as a Celtic and ended up playing just 11 minutes. But, for much of the night, the Celtics went small, either with Josh Minott or another perimeter player playing center. The Pistons out-rebounded the Celtics 56-44, but the small-ball Celtics were able to exploit some offensive mismatches.
After the Pistons game, Mazzulla praised the team’s defensive efforts despite the limited frontcourt.
“I thought we battled,” he said. “It almost forced us to have a heightened awareness to the physicality that’s necessary to be able to play. And, I thought we did the best job that we could.”
Mazzulla also mentioned the small-ball lineups that were present for 22 minutes in Wednesday’s win were extra intentional defensively.
“I felt like we protected the rim better than we did when we have bigs out there sometimes,” he said. “Because I think the heightened awareness and kind of more of the — we don’t have another choice. We have to do this.”
If Queta is ruled out, those efforts will have to continue against a Timberwolves frontcourt headlined by Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid. If Brown or White is to miss the game, the Celtics’ task will be even more formidable.
The Celtics (10-8) will face the Timberwolves (10-8) on Saturday at 5pm ET. The Celtics have won five of their last six games, while the Wolves have lost three in a row.
Queta’s teammates know that his absence will continue to be a challenge.
“We don’t really have a guy that replaces what Neemy does for us,” said Derrick White at practice this week. “So it’s got to be just a group effort, obviously — X, Luka, Chris, they’re gonna get a bigger chance, and we’re gonna need a lot from them. But, it’s also on us — we don’t have Neemy back there to kind of take out some of the problems or the mistakes we make on the perimeter. So it’s gonna be a team effort — rebounding, everything. Hopefully, he comes back as quickly as possible, but we all gotta step up.”
