Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota exited Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a hand injury. On the first drive of the second half, Mariota was stopped after running toward the sideline and is now questionable to return.
On a third down play, Mariota escaped the pocket and threw the ball away after trying to buy some overtime. Eagles defensive lineman Jordan Davis was punting when Mariota awkwardly ended the play. When Washington sent the punt unit out, Mariota was clearly uncomfortable on the sideline.
During the Eagles’ ensuing possession, backup quarterback Josh Johnson warmed up while Mariota ran off the field toward the locker room.
Commanders reported that Mariota was evaluated for a concussion during a short stint in the injury tent. While Mariota has cleared the concussion protocol, he is still being evaluated for a right hand injury.
Before exiting the game, Mariota completed seven of 14 pass attempts for 95 yards. He only had one rushing attempt that lost one yard.
With star quarterback Jayden Daniels sidelined for most of the season, Mariota has now started eight games. Entering Saturday, Mariota had completed 62.0% of his passes for 1,600 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 298 yards and a score on the ground.
Johnson (39 years old) replaced the injured Mariota, and this represents his first real work in the 2025 season. Johnson, who played for NFL He scored for 14 teams, making two appearances, but did not attempt a pass in any of them.
Johnson hasn’t taken meaningful snaps since the 2021 season when he started a game for the Baltimore Ravens. In 47 career games (and nine starts), Johnson has completed 58.1% of his throws for 2,297 yards, 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also brings some action with 426 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
The leaders entered Saturday with a 4-10 record.