Mariota's MCL gives out in London, and now Daniels has to be ready
The Commanders' backup quarterback tore up the same knee he hurt in August, leaving Washington with a rookie as the emergency option and a desperate need for Jayden Daniels to hold up on Sunday against the Giants.
In brief
Mariota's MCL gives out in London, and now Daniels has to be ready
The sequence lasted maybe three seconds. Adetomiwa Adebawore drove through the pocket, got to Marcus Mariota on third-and-goal from the 6, and Mariota's right knee bent the wrong way on the turf at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. He hobbled off. The Commanders, already down to their backup quarterback for the most important stretch of their young season, were now calling on a seventh-round rookie.
That was Sunday morning London time. By Monday afternoon in Ashburn, the diagnosis was official. Coach Dan Quinn confirmed that Mariota suffered a sprained MCL in his right knee against the Colts, the same injury to the same knee he sustained in Week 1 of the preseason. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported it was Mariota's second MCL sprain of the 2026 season. The timetable for his return remains uncertain, Quinn said.
So now the math is brutal. Rookie seventh-rounder Athan Kaliakmanis was inserted into the game after Mariota went down, and Washington was unable to keep up with the Colts, losing 30-13 to fall to 1-3. If Daniels is unable to play in Week 5, Kaliakmanis would likely be in line to start against a Giants defense that, while not fearsome, is still an NFL defense.
The good news, and it is real: Quinn reiterated that starting quarterback Jayden Daniels will practice in full this week, with the hope of starting Sunday against the visiting New York Giants. According to The Washington Post's Tashan Reed, Daniels will be a full participant in practice with the aim to play Oct. 11. He has missed Washington's last two games due to the dislocated left elbow he sustained against the Cowboys in Week 2.
The Athletic's Jonathan Jones went further. Sources inside the organization told Jones that if Daniels has a full week of practice, 'that is a positive indication Daniels will be ready to get back behind center.' He was already back on the practice field in London as a limited participant on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, wearing a brace that keeps him from fully extending the arm.
Still, the word 'full' is doing a lot of work in those sentences. Daniels has played a full game just five times since the start of the 2025 season, adding to Mariota's importance as the bridge quarterback. Now that bridge has a crack in it again. The recurring elbow problem remains a real consideration for Daniels' return. He is expected to play through the same elbow injury he dealt with last year, although offseason surgery has not been ruled out, and Washington is taking a cautious approach before putting him back into action.
A backup plan that keeps breaking down
After leading the Commanders to a 33-31 home win over Seattle in Week 3, Mariota suffered the August injury in a preseason game against the Dolphins, then returned to practice on Sept. 1 after that first setback. He got the team one win. Sunday in London, he went 2-for-2 on field goal drives to give Washington a 6-0 lead before Adebawore ended his day. The final was 30-13.
The Commanders face the 49ers, Eagles and Rams in a daunting three-game stretch after hosting New York, which means a loss to the Giants on Sunday would put them at 1-4 heading into one of the hardest stretches on their calendar. That context is why the Daniels update matters so much right now.
The immediate quarterback picture looks like this: Daniels is the plan, Kaliakmanis is the contingency, and Mariota is done for the foreseeable future. Multiple outlets noted Monday that another MCL injury to Mariota could force Washington to call on a familiar quarterback to fill the void, and that general manager Adam Peters had already drawn criticism for mismanaging the offensive line this offseason, compounding the team's struggles.
One detail that keeps surfacing: Daniels has dislocated the same left elbow twice now, in consecutive seasons. He dislocated his left, non-throwing elbow in Week 2 at Dallas, the same elbow he dislocated last November. The brace he wore in London practices is designed specifically to prevent it from happening a third time. ESPN's John Keim reported the plan is for Daniels to wear a brace 'that keeps his elbow slightly bent to prevent another dislocation.'
For Commanders fans who have watched this franchise cycle through quarterbacking nightmares since 2020, none of this feels unfamiliar. What feels different is that the player they're waiting on is genuinely good. Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2024, made the Pro Bowl, and has not thrown an interception yet in 2026. The Commanders are 1-3 without him at full strength. The Giants game, at Northwest Stadium this Sunday, is a winnable game. It may also be a mandatory one.
Wednesday's practice report is the next real data point. If Daniels comes out as a full participant, expect Quinn to confirm the start at his Friday presser. If he's limited again, the calls for Kaliakmanis start getting louder, and a franchise that spent a decade searching for a quarterback will spend another week holding its breath over the one it finally found.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
