In a season of few victories on the field, the Washington Commanders should look for wins wherever they can get them.
This should count as one of those.
The Commanders learned the gruesome arm injury star quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered in a Week 9 Monday Night Football loss to the Seattle Seahawks might not be as bad as originally thought.
“Sources: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ MRI and medical opinions revealed positive news, as his dislocated left elbow is not as serious as originally anticipated,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account Friday, November 7 “There was no ligament damage & he won’t need surgery. Daniels will not be immediately placed on Injured Reserve.”
Daniels has already missed 3 games this season due to injuries — 2 games with a knee sprain and 1 game with a hamstring injury.
The Commanders, who entered the season as Super Bowl contenders, have lost 4 consecutive games headed into a Week 10 home game against an actual Super Bowl contender in the Detroit Lions.
Marcus Mariota will start against the Lions in place of Daniels. Veteran journeyman Josh Johnson will serve as Mariota’s backup.
“Washington fans (and Jayden Daniels himself) should find some relief that it wasn’t his throwing arm THAT would be the absolute worst case scenario,” X user Betta wrote. “Pretty dumb from the coach to have him out there regardless.”
Nightmare Sophomore Season for Daniels
The Commanders selected Daniels No. 2 overall in the 2024 NFL draft and watched his career take off like a rocket ship as a rookie, leading the team to its best season in over 30 years. Washington went 12-5 in the regular season and advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
Washington spent the offseason re-tooling their roster — an inexplicable move considering how well they played in 2024. That included high profile trades for left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Deebo Samuel as well as drafting offensive tackle Josh Conerly in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.
The 2025 season has been a nightmare for both Daniels and the Commanders — bad enough Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon singled him out as the team’s “Biggest Disappointment” through the first 2 months of the regular season.
“The 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year has also fallen in 2025,” Gagnon wrote. “It’s not quite ‘sophomore slump’ territory just yet, but his completion rate is down eight points and his QBR has sunk by more than 16. Knee and hamstring injuries have been a big factor, though.”
Things Could Get Even Worse for Commanders
One look at the remaining schedule for the Commanders shows things may not have hit rock bottom just yet.
After playing the Lions, the Commanders head to Madrid, Spain, to face the Miami Dolphins in Week 11 — a game the Commanders may not even be favored in — before their bye win Week 12.
Returning from the bye — with or without Daniels — is a murderer’s row of games.
In the final 6 game of the year, the Commanders face the 8-2 Denver Broncos (Week 12), followed by a road game against the Minnesota Vikings and 2 games against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the last 3 weeks of the regular season.
It’s not a stretch to say the Commanders might finish the season 5-12 — the exact inverse of their 2024 record.
Commanders Avoid ‘Worst Case Scenario’ With Superstar QB Jayden Daniels