Commanders' rising stars face defining moment to silence doubters for good

Washington Commanders wide receiver Luke McCaffrey | Cooper Neill/GettyImagesIf I were to tell you that Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, John Bates, and Noah Brown would not play for the Washington Commanders, you might write off the game completely.

That could be the case in Week 4 with McLaurin, Daniels, Bates, and Brown all ruled out once again.

After watching Marcus Mariota step in seamlessly, with young weapons Jaylin Lane, Luke McCaffrey, and Ben Sinnott all making an impact, the Commanders may be more equipped than expected. It also doesn't hurt that the Atlanta Falcons were just shut out by the Carolina Panthers in a demoralizing loss.

There’s a saying: “Luck is when preparation meets…