The Washington Commanders fell to 3-4 this season with Sunday's 44-22 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys, but the game wasn't the team's biggest loss of the evening.
Early in the third quarter, second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels exited the game after taking a hard hit from Cowboys linebacker Shemar James that ended up tweaking the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year's hamstring.
Though head coach Dan Quinn told reporters after the game that Daniels wanted to go back in - a decision that means next to nothing (see CeeDee Lamb, who missed three games with an ankle injury after claiming he could've played the following week) - one prominent sports doctor believes Daniels, who's schedule for an MRI on Monday, is set to miss some time.
Former NFL team doctor and Sirius XM and Fox Sports Radio injury expert David Chao stated he believed Daniels' hamstring injury could be severe enough to sideline him for at least a game, if not longer.
"Everyone's question now is how much time? How much time [will he miss]?" Chao said. "Honestly, too early to tell. An MRI is a Grade 1, 2 or 3, but the way that Washington has treated him with his previous left knee is conservative. … Even if it's Grade 1, you don't want to turn a mild hamstring into a moderate, more severe one and miss more time.
"… I think he's going to unfortunately miss some time. Is it going to be IR? I certainly hope not. … As we say, there's really no such thing as a one-week hamstring strain. Look at Lamar Jackson; if you're going to be out, you're going to be out."
Jackson has been a cautionary tale of sorts for hamstring injuries this season.
The Baltimore Ravens QB suffered what was considered a mild hamstring injury in the team's 37-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.
The severity of Jackson's injury was downplayed as not being severe enough to warrant a stint on IR, but he hasn't played in a month, and is status for Baltimore's Week 8 matchup against the Chicago Bears next weekend is still uncertain.
If Daniels does miss any time, Marcus Mariota will be back under center.
The former No. 1 overall pick struggled in relief of Daniels on Sunday, completing just 4 of 10 passes for 63 yards and a pick-6.
In two starts earlier this season, Mariota threw for 363 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while leading the Commanders to a 1-1 record.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.