The Washington Commanders were dealt their most devastating injury blow yet after quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a significant left elbow injury in the fourth quarter of the Week 9 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
Daniels was tackled on a play halfway through the fourth quarter and his arm bent awkwardly, leading to what could be a season-ending injury. That has not been confirmed yet, but all you have to do is watch the video to know that's a very possible outcome.
It's extremely frustrating to see Daniels suffer that kind of injury, and what makes it more frustrating is the fact it happened late in a game where the Commanders were getting blown out.
Head coach Dan Quinn should have pulled his starters, and especially his young star quarterback. Granted, Daniels probably wanted to stay in the game, but sometimes a coach has to protect his players, even if it's against their wishes.
Quinn failed to do that on Sunday night and is rightly facing backlash for it.
"WHY WAS JAYDEN DANIELS EVEN STILL IN THE GAME," former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III said on X.
"I don’t like throwing out the word negligent often, but what the Washington Commanders have done with Jayden Daniels this season has been grossly irresponsible," former NFL player and analyst Emmanuel Acho said.
"This was malpractice by Dan Quinn. [Jayden Daniels] is your prized possession as a franchise. What's the point of having him in the game," CBS Sports analyst Damien Harris said.
"Jayden Daniels was set up to fail! He shouldn’t have been on the field, he wasn’t healed yet," one Commanders fan wrote. "Who sends out there start QB in the 4th quarter when you are losing by 30 points. Quinn needs to go."
At the very least, Daniels is going to miss significant time, but even if he can make it back at some point, the Commanders are likely to be totally out of the playoff hunt by the time he does, which means there will be no sense to bring him back.
Whether he's out for the season or comes back late, the Commanders' season, which was already on life support, is almost certainly over.
Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery.
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