A historic Sunday for Oregon’s football program unfolded in Week 3 of the NFL season. For the first time in over 15 years, three former Duck quarterbacks started in NFL games on the same day. Each representing a different era of Oregon football, Marcus Mariota, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix, were all at the helm of their offenses. From league veterans like Mariota and Herbert, to rising starts like Nix, Oregon’s recent quarterback lineage was on full display.

MARIOTA DELIVERS AT HOME IN FIRST START SINCE 2022

In 2014, Mariota became the first Oregon player to win the Heisman Trophy and led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff national championship game. On Sunday, he showed flashes of that elite playmaking from years ago. Starting in place of an injured Jayden Daniels, Mariota made the most of his first start since 2022, leading the Washington Commanders to a 41–24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at home.

With eleven seasons under his belt, the veteran went on to throw for 207 yards and a touchdown, add 40 rushing yards with a second score on the ground, and finish with just one turnover.

Just under four minutes into the game, he opened the scoring with a 2-yard dive into the endzone. Despite an early fumble on a long scramble that gave the Raiders momentum, Mariota stayed composed. He delivered a 19-yard strike to Zach Ertz to help set up a second quarter field goal. On the next drive, he then helped orchestrate a 60-yard touchdown run by Jeremy McNichols. 

In the third quarter, Mariota showcased his arm with his longest throw of the game — a deep 56-yard bomb — to Terry McLaurin that set up another score. He capped his day with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Luke McCaffrey in the fourth, sealing the Commanders’ second win of the season.

After years of bouncing between five teams, sitting behind starters and waiting for an opportunity, Mariota stepped in and delivered under pressure. In a postgame interview on Fox he became emotional recounting his performance.

 “(I’m) just thinking about my journey, the ups and the downs,” Mariota said. “It was just a lot of fun for me and I’m just a part of such a great culture and I’ll never take that for granted and I’m just truly blessed and truly appreciative of it.”

Whether Daniels returns next week or not, Mariota’s performance was a powerful reminder that the veteran quarterback still has what it takes to make an impact in this league.

BATTLE OF THE DUCKS: HERBERT RALLIES PAST NIX IN LA 

A hometown hero for the Ducks, Herbert added yet another milestone to his growing legacy on Sunday, guiding the Los Angeles Chargers to a hard-fought 23–20 win over Nix and the Denver Broncos in a back-and-forth battle between former Oregon quarterbacks. 

Herbert threw for 300 yards on 28-of-47 passing, with one touchdown and one interception, and became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 2,000 career completions at just 27 years-old.

The outstanding two-year starter at Oregon is currently in his second season with the Broncos, Nix finished with 153 yards on 14-of-25 passing with one touchdown and could not match Herbert’s command.

The game started slowly, with only a field goal by the Chargers to put them up in the first quarter, but momentum picked up in the second. 

An incompletion followed by an interception for Herbert gave the Broncos a much-needed energy boost. However this was short-lived and the Chargers were quick to bounce-back with a touchdown. 

Nix, though, did not back down and delivered a 52-yard bomb —the longest of the game — to Courtland Sutton, who scored to cut the Chargers’ lead to 10-7.

In their opening third-quarter drive the Broncos took the lead for the first time with a touchdown run by J.K. Dobbins. A field goal for both sides put the score at 17-13 Broncos to close out the third.

A field goal to open up the fourth quarter for the Broncos extended their lead by seven. Herbert was quick to respond, breaking a tackle and connecting with Keenan Allen for a 20-yard touchdown strike with just under three-minutes remaining to tie it up.

The Chargers ultimately got the win with a field goal in the remaining drive to stay undefeated at 3–0 and atop the AFC West.