Marcus Mariota ruled out against Colts; rookie Athan Kaliakmanis takes over for Commanders

Marcus Mariota was ruled out of the Washington Commanders’ October 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts after injuring his right knee in the first quarter. Rookie Athan Kaliakmanis replaced him and made his regular-season NFL debut. Mariota had started because Washington’s usual starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, was unavailable with a left elbow injury.

What happened to Mariota?

Mariota was hurt on a third-down sack during Washington’s second offensive possession in London. Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu brought him down, landing on his right leg. Mariota left the field, was evaluated in the medical tent and then went to the locker room. Washington initially listed him as questionable to return before ruling him out at halftime.

The team identified the injury as a right knee injury. Being ruled out establishes that Mariota could not return against Indianapolis; it does not, by itself, establish a diagnosis or how much time he might miss after the game. Washington had not announced a recovery timetable when it ruled him out.

Mariota had completed three of four passes for 46 yards and gained 35 yards on one rush before leaving. The Commanders scored field goals on each of their first two possessions and led 6-0 when Kaliakmanis entered.

Who is Athan Kaliakmanis?

Kaliakmanis was Washington’s third quarterback behind Daniels and Mariota entering the game. The Commanders selected him from Rutgers with the 223rd overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He began his college career at Minnesota before spending his final two seasons at Rutgers.

His appearance against the Colts was his first in an NFL regular-season game. Washington had kept him on its active roster after he won the third-quarterback spot during the preseason. That made him the available replacement once Mariota could not continue; he was not brought in from the practice squad during the game.

The circumstances left Kaliakmanis taking over an offense prepared to start Mariota. His first plays included handoffs before he began passing. Whatever Washington decides about its quarterback depth beyond this game will depend in part on further evaluations of Mariota and Daniels, rather than on Mariota’s in-game designation alone.

Why wasn’t Jayden Daniels playing?

Daniels had already been ruled out of the Colts game while recovering from a dislocated left elbow sustained against Dallas in Week 2. He returned to limited practice during the week, but coach Dan Quinn said Washington would reassess him after another week of work. Mariota therefore made his second consecutive start in Daniels’ place.

Daniels’ absence is why Mariota’s injury immediately moved Washington to its third quarterback. It does not mean Daniels was available to enter against the Colts: his status for this game had been settled before kickoff.

Is Colson Yankoff the emergency quarterback?

Tight end Colson Yankoff drew attention as a possible emergency option because he played quarterback earlier in his football career. He is not listed as one of Washington’s three rostered quarterbacks, however, and the Commanders had not announced that he would take over if Kaliakmanis had to leave. Calling him the team’s confirmed next quarterback would go beyond what Washington had said.

Sam Hartman is another quarterback in the organization, but he was on the practice squad, not the active game-day roster. For the Colts game, the immediate change was straightforward: Mariota was ruled out, Daniels was unavailable, and Kaliakmanis was the quarterback who took the field.