Rookie QB Athan Kaliakmanis Thrown Into Fire in Commanders' London Debut
Seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis experienced a baptism by fire in his first NFL action, taking a brutal hit shortly after entering the game for the injured Marcus Mariota.
Washington Commanders rookie quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis experienced a swift and harsh introduction to the NFL in London, taking a significant hit just moments after entering his team's Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Kaliakmanis, a seventh-round draft pick, was thrust into the starting role after starter Jayden Daniels remained sidelined with an elbow injury and backup Marcus Mariota sustained a knee injury on a first-quarter sack. This marked the first NFL action for Kaliakmanis, who became the first Rutgers quarterback in 21 years to throw a pass in a league game.
Shortly after entering the game, the rookie quarterback received a "welcome to the NFL" moment when he was hit hard by 300-pound Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner as he released the ball. The impact sent Kaliakmanis to the ground, though Buckner was not flagged for unnecessary roughness.
The Commanders' offensive line struggled against the Colts' defensive front throughout the first half. Kaliakmanis managed to complete 6 of 12 passes for 33 yards in the initial half, which saw the Colts take a 10-6 lead.
Following Mariota's injury, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn expressed confidence in Kaliakmanis, referred to as 'AK', for the remainder of the game. However, the rookie threw an interception on the first drive of the second half.
Quinn indicated that the team had not discussed signing another veteran quarterback following Daniels' injury, stating a desire to gather more information on timelines. "I think we're gonna wait until we get all the info over the next two days and really have a sense for the timelines and that kind of stuff," Quinn said. "But in the meantime, Marcus will start this weekend."
With both Mariota and Daniels unavailable, backup tight end Colson Yankoff, a former highly-rated high school quarterback, was the next in line for the Commanders.
Kaliakmanis had been preparing for such a scenario since Daniels' injury. "You just never know. You never know what's going to happen; you never know when it's going to be your time," Kaliakmanis told reporters. "So I'm just preparing like I am the starter."
During training camp, Kaliakmanis, who beat out Sam Hartman for the third-string position, emphasized preparation and trusting the game plan and teammates. "Having confidence in your preparation, knowing that I don't need to be a superhero today. I just need to trust the game plan. I need to trust my teammates and go out there and execute," he stated.
