Before the season, the Washington Commanders and the rest of the NFL may have had their Week 8 Monday Night Football game against the Kansas City Chiefs circled because it was going to be a battle between Super Bowl contenders.
Now, it’s notable for completely different reasons. While the Chiefs are just picking up steam, the Commanders have ran into a brick wall because of injuries are head scratching personnel moves.
The latest setback came when the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke news quarterback Jayden Daniels would miss Week 8 with a hamstring injury suffered in a 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7.
Daniels has already missed 2 games this season with a knee sprain.
The Commanders dropped to 3-4 with the loss to the Cowboys.
“Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, who suffered a low-grade hamstring strain on Sunday, is going to be out for MNF against the Chiefs, sources say,” Rapoport wrote on his official X account on October 22. “Marcus Mariota gets the start.”
Injury Similar to One for Ravens 2-Time MVP QB
ESPN’s Adam Schefter went on “Get Up” on Monday morning and said that Daniels had a hamstring injury comparable to the one suffered by Baltimore Ravens quarterback and 2-time NFL Most Valuable Player Lamar Jackson, who has missed the last 2 games.
It’s safe to say that as Daniels goes, so go the playoff hopes of the Commanders, who entered the season as Super Bowl contenders after Daniels led them to a 12-5 record and the NFC Championship Game as a rookie in 2024.
Second Injury Issue for Daniels This Season
The biggest knock on Daniels before the Commanders drafted him at No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft was how he might fare against NFL defenses at 6-foot-3 and just 210 pounds — probably 10-20 pounds less than what’s ideal for a quarterback of that height.
Daniels was surprisingly durable as a rookie. He didn’t miss a single start and really only missed one game, when he left a Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers with a rib injury suffered on the first drive of the game.
Daniels returned one week later to author one of the most incredible moments in NFL regular season history with the “Hail Maryland” game against the Chicago Bears in Week 8.
Washington is staring down a brutal stretch of games before their Week 12 bye beginning with a road game against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 8 followed by home games against NFC contenders in the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions.
Missing Stars Could Lead to Lost Season
Before the season, if you were to have asked any Commanders fan which 2 players they could absolutely not live without, there’s a good chance the names would have been Daniels and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
With McLaurin out for the last 4 games with a quad injury/hip flexor and no concrete news of his return, it might be a doomsday scenario for the Commanders and their once-bright playoff hopes.
“There is Jayden Daniels’ future to consider,” The Athletic’s David Aldridge wrote on October 20. “Which means there’s the future of the franchise to consider, if this is who the Washington Commanders are going to be this season. If it is, and it’s definitely looking that way, Daniels should not go back on the field any time soon.”
Commanders Make Final Decision on QB Jayden Daniels Against Chiefs