LOS ANGELES -- Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels will start Sunday after missing the past two games with a sprained left knee.
Daniels was a full participant in practice all week and said Wednesday he planned to play against the Los Angeles Chargers -- a game about 70 miles from his hometown of San Bernardino.
Coach Dan Quinn made it official following the Commanders' practice at the Los Angeles Coliseum. It was a necessary boost for a team coming off a 34-27 loss to the Atlanta Falcons and dealing with multiple injuries to key players.
"He had a great week," Quinn said.
Washington will play a second consecutive game without two of its top three receivers in Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin/calf). Brown also missed a Week 3 game vs. the Las Vegas Raiders because of the injury.
Daniels has practiced with a black brace on his left knee and will play with it Sunday, Quinn said.
"I'm not the biggest fan of it but if that's what I have to wear then I'll do anything possible," Daniels said Wednesday.
It doesn't restrict his movement, a key aspect for Sunday. The Chargers have allowed the third-most yards on quarterback scrambles this season; Daniels led all quarterbacks with 570 yards scrambling as a rookie in 2024.
The Commanders' offense fared well with backup Marcus Mariota, scoring a combined 61 points from scrimmage. In his four games in relief of Daniels over the past two seasons, Mariota has thrown for a combined 729 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.
"He's played about as well as you can play," offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said. "They're different styles and Jayden is a unique talent, the way he plays, moves, throws. He's generational so any time you get him back out there it's going to lift up your team."
Daniels said it was difficult to miss two games. He said he could have played two weeks ago but "I don't make those calls." He wasn't medically cleared to play until Wednesday.
Daniels said he's not going to alter his style after getting hit in his knee on a fourth-quarter scramble vs. Green Bay Packers in Week 2.
"You've got to be smart, live to see another down," he said. "But just know if the game is on the line, I'm going to do whatever it takes to win."