Jayden Daniels
Getty
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.
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 theChiefs, 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.