On Sunday morning, the Washington Commanders hit the field in Spain to take on the Miami Dolphins, looking to push their record to 4-7 on the 2025 NFL season and keep their faint playoff hopes alive. Jayden Daniels missed this game, one of several he’s been forced to sit out this year due to injury, and it was once again backup quarterback Marcus Mariota taking his place against Miami.
Unfortunately for the Commanders, Mariota too went out with an injury in this game, opening the door for Josh Johnson to enter the game, per Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team on X, formerly Twitter.
Mariota walked around for a few moments after getting hit by a Dolphins defender and then took a seat on the turf.
Article Continues Below
ClutchQuiz
Question 1 of 4
Which player popularized the ‘Lambeau Leap’?
Brett Favre
Donald Driver
Reggie White
Aaron Rodgers
However, the good news was that he was cleared to return to the game after being evaluated for a concussion, per the Commanders.
Overall, it’s just the latest development in what has been a nightmarish season for the Commanders on the heels of their NFC Championship Game run a year ago. Injuries have been a major issue for Washington throughout the year this season, with Daniels and several other players missing time due to various ailments, and the team overall has taken a step back from the heights they reached a year ago even when they’ve been healthy.
The Commanders are next set to take the field on November 30 at home against the Denver Broncos following a bye week.
The Minnesota Vikings played exceedingly poorly against the Chicago Bears in Week 11, but still found a way to take a late lead in the contest, only to watch it slip away via a field goal as time expired.
That loss dropped Minnesota to 4-6 and placed the team firmly in last place in the NFC North Division. The Vikings now head to Lambeau Field for a divisional showdown with the Green Bay Packers in what is essentially a must-win if they hope to keep their playoff chances viable in a conference race that is running further and further ahead of them with each passing week.
A key for Minnesota is going to be the play of second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy. But assuming he continues struggling as he has for most of his five starts in 2025, the responsibility to keep the Vikings in the game is going to fall on Brian Flores and his defense. Looking at the contest through that lens, Minnesota caught something of a significant break via the injury report on Monday, November 17.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs left his team’s game against the New York Giants on Sunday with a knee injury. And while he isn’t going to need surgery, there’s a reasonable chance Jacobs will miss the contest against Minnesota next weekend.
#Packers standout RB Josh Jacobs’ knee is structurally sound and no surgery is needed, per me and @TomPelissero.
He’s considered day-to-day, but could miss the game against the #Vikings.
“Packers standout RB Josh Jacobs’ knee is structurally sound and no surgery is needed, per me and Tom Pelissero,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported via social media on Monday. “He’s considered day-to-day, but could miss the game against the Vikings.”
Green Bay’s offense has also struggled this season, particularly of late. The Packers have mustered fewer than 16 points per game on average over their last three contests, two of which were losses to Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles. Green Bay snuck past the New York Giants in Week 11 to move to 6-3-1 on the season.
The Packers are a below-average rushing team in the NFL this year, ranking 19th in the category with 113.5 ground yards per game. Losing Jacobs only exacerbates that deficiency.
He has tallied 648 rushing yards and 11 TDs, though not efficiently at just 3.8 yards per carry thus far in 2025. Jacobs has also caught 28 passes for 237 receiving yards.
Minnesota is allowing 127 rushing yards to opposing offenses in 2025, which is well below the league average. Thus, if Jacobs misses the contest, that should bode well for the Vikings mitigating one of their defensive weaknesses.
Green Bay is also without tight end Tucker Kraft, who is done for the season with an ACL tear. The combination of his absence, along with the potential absence of Jacobs, puts the Packers at an extreme skill-position disadvantage compared to how the offense looked when the season began.
Wide receiver Jayden Reed is also going to miss the game against the Vikings, though he could return as early as Week 13.
Minnesota is averaging just 21 points per contest since McCarthy returned to the starting lineup three weeks ago, and the offense has failed to eclipse 20 points in each of its past two consecutive losses. The Vikings will need their quarterback to play better if they hope to travel to Lambeau and win in mid-November, but Minnesota must also take advantage of the several key injuries to the Packers’ offense if the team wants to keep its postseason hopes viable following Week 12.