Caleb Williams

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels reportedly may not be available for the team's Week 8 game against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Daniels' status for the game is "very much in doubt" after he suffered a rib injury during Washington's 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn described Daniels as "week-to-week," but expressed hope that he will be able to play against Chicago.

Even if Daniels is unable to play against the Bears, Rapoport noted that it is "not a major injury" and not something that will keep him out for multiple games.

Rapoport added that Daniels suffered the injury on the Commanders' first offensive play from scrimmage in Week 7, which saw him gain 46 yards on a run.

Although Daniels finished the drive, which resulted in a field goal, he was replaced by veteran backup Marcus Mariota on the next drive and did not return to a game that turned out to be a blowout win.

All told, Daniels attempted only two passes, completing both of them for six yards, while also rushing for 50 yards on three carries.

Injury aside, Daniels' NFL career is off to a spectacular start, as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft has gone a surprising 5-2. He is also completing an NFL-best 75.6 percent of his passes for 1,410 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions to go along with 372 yards and four scores on the ground.

Daniels is the clear front-runner for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, although Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is in the conversation as well.

The Bears are 4-2 under Williams, and he is completing 65.3 percent of his passing attempts for 1,317 yards, nine touchdowns and five picks, and has also rushed for 169 yards.

Should Daniels play, the Commanders vs. Bears game will be among the marquee matchups on the entire Week 8 slate.

In addition to both teams performing above expectations, Williams and Daniels were the Nos. 1 and 2 overall picks in the 2024 draft, and they are also the two most recent Heisman Trophy winners.

Daniels' potential absence would take some of the shine away from the contest, and it would likely make the Bears the favored team as well despite Washington being at home.

Mariota, 30, performed well in Daniels' absence in Week 7, throwing for 205 yards, two touchdowns and no picks, although he did it against arguably the worst team in the league in Carolina.

Like Daniels, Mariota was a Heisman Trophy winner and also a No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft, going to the Tennessee Titans in 2015.

Over the course of 10 NFL seasons with the Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, Philadelphia Eagles and Commanders, Mariota has appeared in 92 regular-season games and made 74 starts, going 34-40.

He most recently started games for the Falcons in 2022, going 5-8 and throwing for 2,219 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The status of Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels for a Week 8 matchup against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears remains unclear, according to Mike Jones of The Athletic.

Daniels exited Sunday's 40-7 win over the Carolina Panthers due to a rib injury. He returned to the sideline in street clothes in the third quarter.

Before Sunday, the star rookie was briefly out of action in the Commanders' Week 2 win over the New York Giants after taking a hit to his ribs. He only missed two snaps before returning to the field.

The No. 2 pick of the 2024 draft has so far more than lived up to the Commanders' expectations as a first-year starting quarterback.

Through seven games, Daniels connected on 75.6 percent of his passes for 1,410 yards and six touchdowns. He threw his first career interception in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals but rallied to lead the Commanders to victory.

Daniels has also established himself as a dual threat with 66 carries for 372 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He joined Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III and Anthony Richardson as the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to record four rushing touchdowns in the first four games of his career.

If Daniels is forced to miss time, the Commanders will need to turn to Marcus Mariota.

As well as Mariota performed against Carolina, the team would hope he'd only be a temporary replacement for Daniels, who has led Washington to its first 3-1 start since 2011 and its first back-to-back 30-point wins since 2017.

At 5-2, the Commanders have a half-game lead on the Philadelphia Eagles for first place in the NFC East. Getting Daniels back as soon as possible will be critical to their hopes of earning a playoff berth for the first time since the team's Wild Card Round loss in 2020.

Let the hype begin.

The highly anticipated showdown between rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels is reportedly being moved to a different time slot that could give it a bigger audience.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday that the NFL moved the Week 8 game between the Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders to a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff time. It was previously scheduled for 1 p.m. ET but is switching kickoff times with the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Cincinnati Bengals.

Rapoport noted the "word is" CBS will have top broadcast pair Jim Nantz and Tony Romo calling the game between the Bears and Commanders.

This game would have been notable regardless of how the two signal-starters played in the first few weeks, as Williams was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft while Daniels was the No. 2.

They are always going to be connected to each other given their draft status, and the fact they are both playing so well only adds to the storylines going into this contest.

Williams' Bears and Daniels' Commanders are each 4-2 on the season and look like potential playoff contenders. Chicago has won three games in a row while its quarterback has taken notable strides, and Washington had its own four-game winning streak before losing by just seven to Lamar Jackson's Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.

Daniels already turned heads on a national stage by going 21-of-23 for 254 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions with 39 yards and a score on the ground during a Monday Night Football victory over Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.

Now he will have another chance to do so in a high-profile game against his fellow Offensive Rookie of the Year competitor.

On the season, Daniels has completed 75.3 percent of his passes for 1,404 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions while running for 322 yards and four touchdowns. As for Williams, he has completed 65.3 percent of his passes for 1,317 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions to go with 169 rushing yards.

It is not just the stats that stand out.

Williams is calling plays and audibles at the line of scrimmage, going through his progressions, using his legs to escape pressure in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield, and directing the offense like an established veteran. He has six touchdowns to one pick in his last two games and has fully shown off his superstar potential.

And Daniels has electrified with both his legs and arm while exploiting defenses with a clear chemistry with No. 1 option Terry McLaurin.

All eyes will be on their head-to-head showdown in Week 8, and the fast starts for both teams mean it could have significant NFC playoff implications as the season progresses.

Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams had the best performance of his young career on Sunday, spearheading a 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Williams completed a career-best 79.3 percent of his passes for 226 yards, a career-high four touchdowns and an interception as the Bears extended their win streak to three straight games, earning praise from around the NFL.

"He made a couple Tier 1 throws into tight windows in the red zone," a veteran coach told Mike Sando of The Athletic.

The 2024 No. 1 pick got off to a slow start when he completed just 48.3 percent of his passes in Chicago's season opener. Since then, he's completed over 60 percent of his passes in five straight outings.

At 4-2, the Bears have gotten off to a strong start. However, all four victories have come against one-win teams.

Williams and Chicago will face a true test after their bye week when they meet 2024 No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders (4-2) in Week 8 on Oct. 27.

The Chicago Bears rolled to a 35-16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London to increase their winning streak to three games.

Quarterback Caleb Williams was an efficient 23-of-29 for 226 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He also ran for 56 yards on four carries, his longest attempt going for 23 yards.

Two of Williams' touchdowns went to tight end Cole Kmet in the second quarter.

Chicago's improvement on the field is directly correlated to the performance of its franchise QB. Williams now has three straight starts with a passer rating above 100. Things are clicking for the rookie quarterback.

Though two weeks, a vocal minority of voices were questioning whether the Bears would've been better off taking Jayden Daniels first overall or even sticking with Justin Fields over picking Williams. Those skeptics are probably pretty quiet right now.

A very different and much larger group of skeptics, on the other hand, is only going feel emboldened as the Jaguars' slide continues.

Team owner Shad Khan told Demetrius Harvey of the Florida Times-Union on Saturday that "I still believe" in head coach Doug Pederson and general manager Trent Baalke. Now that Jacksonville is sitting at 1-5, a coaching change—and perhaps something more drastic—feels increasingly inevitable.

Firing Pederson wouldn't be a panacea, but it's hard to see how things improve from this point with him on the sideline. Star quarterback Trevor Lawrence was a lackluster 23-of-35 for 234 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Chicago.

One factor that could extend Pederson's tenure another week is that the Jaguars stay in London to play the New England Patriots in Week 7. Firing your head coach is a little trickier when he's in an entirely different country.

The Bears, on the other hand, get to take a week off once they return stateside. They head into their bye with a ton of positive momentum.

The NFL is back in London this Sunday for the second game of the 2024 NFL International Series.

After the Minnesota Vikings defeated the New York Jets last Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars are headed to north London for a Week 6 matchup.

Here's all the information you need to know before tuning in to this international matchup.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears

Date: Sunday, October 13

Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, United Kingdom

Kickoff: 9:30 a.m. ET

Broadcast: NFL Network, Sky Sports

Livestream: Fubo, NFL+ in the Chicago area, Game Pass International for those outside the United States, Canada and China

Both the Bears and Jaguars are looking to ride the momentum of Week 5 wins into this international matchup.

Last week, Caleb Williams led the Bears into their first two-game win streak of the season by passing for 304 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers at home. He is now looking to power Chicago to the franchise's first stretch of three straight wins since 2020.

Trevor Lawrence meanwhile helped the Jaguars snap their season-opening four-game losing streak with 371 passing yards and two touchdowns in a win over the visiting Indianapolis Colts.

Chicago offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seems likely to lean on Williams' passing accuracy, which has improved throughout his rookie season so far, as well as top receiver DJ Moore in order to put pressure on the Jaguars' shaky pass defense. Jacksonville is one of two NFL teams to allow opposing offenses more than 1,500 passing yards through five games.

The Bears, on the other hand, have been highly effective in limiting opponents' passing options. Lawrence will have a tougher time reenacting his Week 5 performance against Chicago than he did against Indianapolis. The Jaguars may need to lean on running back Travis Etienne Jr. as well as Tank Bigsby, who has rushed for two touchdowns in Jacksonville's last two games, to drive offense against the Bears.

The Jaguars have the advantage of a history of success in international games. Jacksonville boasts a 6-5 overall mark in London, and last season entered the series with a 1-2 record before defeating the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills in consecutive weeks.

Jacksonville is set for a similar international back-to-back this fall. Lawrence and the Jaguars will return to London next Sunday to face the New England Patriots in a Week 7 clash at Wembley Stadium.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is a rookie, but that hasn't stopped him from quickly establishing himself as a leader, per wide receiver D.J. Moore.

According to ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Moore joked that Williams is "bossy" before clarifying and explaining why it's a good thing:

"What I mean by bossy is if we don't hit something in practice, he's going to tell us how we need to run it. And we just look at him and be like, 'OK.'

"When we get out there for the game, just make sure you work, because he's gonna have some words for you if you don't. That's him being a leader. He's a little bossy. It's the little bro."

While Williams didn't disagree with Moore's assessment regarding his bossiness, he did suggest that he is continuing to evolve as a leader and learning the best way to lead each individual on the team:

"Certain people you can be a little bossy with, certain people you have to talk very monotone and in control of yourself, and other times there's people that you can just kind of lash out at. I don't really lash out much. That's not really my vibe.

"But just always coming over to talk to the guys when I can. Growing up a little bit. Understanding that even when I'm frustrated about maybe a drive or a play that we had that we may have messed up or whatever the case may have been, understanding that there's another drive coming, there's another part of the season that we have to focus on also. Being able to go over and talk to them and understand how and what they need to hear and then from there moving on."

The Bears took a major leap of faith by committing to taking Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, as they moved on from another former first-round pick at quarterback in Justin Fields.

Williams' collegiate track record at USC was undoubtedly hard to ignore, as he put up two huge statistical seasons and won the Heisman Trophy in 2023.

Although he went through some growing pains in his first two NFL games, throwing for a combined 267 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions, he has come into his own the past three weeks.

Over his past three games, Williams has thrown for 824 yards, five touchdowns and two picks, and the Bears have gone 2-1 to improve their overall record to 3-2.

He undoubtedly had the best game of his young career last week in a 36-10 drubbing of the Carolina Panthers, as Williams went 20-of-29 for 304 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, while also rushing for 34 yards.

In addition to leading vocally, Williams is now leading by example, and he is showing why the Bears were so willing to take him first overall.

Sunday will mark one of Williams' toughest challenges yet, as he will have to brave a difficult travel schedule for his first career game overseas.

Going up against the 1-4 Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bears are favored to win, and Williams has a chance to prove that Chicago is worthy of that respect and capable of delivering when the team is expected to come out on top.