It was an emotional afternoon for the Washington Commanders. The team suffered another NFC East defeat while losing quarterback Jayden Daniels to a gruesome arm injury.
Sports doctors on social media speculated it could be the same elbow dislocation as he sustained last season.
Just like when Daniels went down in 2025, backup Marcus Mariota replaced Daniels. But Mariota didn’t take over before sending a message to his injured teammate, who left the field on a cart Sunday.
Mariota shared that message with reporters after the game.
“Just praying. Holding his hand and saying, ‘Here with you, man. You’re not going through this alone,'” said Mariota.
“As a football player, I think everybody has been in that spot unfortunately. It’s part of the game. And I think back to a guy who was there for me when I got hurt. It was Delanie Walker. I think, anytime that happens, you just want to know someone is caring for you.
“So I just wanted to sit over there with him and say, ‘Hey dawg. I got you.'”
Daniels suffered the injury right before halftime. The injury elicited a strong response from FOX Sports play-by-play analyst Tom Brady.
“Oh (expletive),” Brady said during the injury replay.
The Commanders trailed by a touchdown when Daniels left. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Commanders 37-20.
Marcus Mariota Sends Message to Jayden Daniels After Injury
Other than Daniels himself, Mariota might have experienced the most emotional response to Daniels’ injury. The veteran backup received several questions about Daniels departing on a cart. With each response, Mariota didn’t appear afraid to show his vulnerability.
Commanders’ Marcus Mariota Reveals Message to Jayden Daniels After QB’s Injury