Sunday night saw the Washington Commanders lose their fourth-straight game as they succumbed to a heavy 38-14 defeat to the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium.
Seahawks' quarterback Sam Darnold stole the show as he torched the Commanders' defense, throwing for 330 yards and four touchdowns, while the NFL's leading receiver Jaxson Smith-Njigba racked up 129 receiving yards as he closes in on 1,000 yards for the season through just eight games.
The Seahawks bolstered their playoff hopes by climbing to the top of the NFC West with a 6-2 record, but as for the Commanders, their season has been left in ruins as they fell to 3-6 on the season, and in the process suffered a season-defining injury to their franchise quarterback.
With the score 38-7 with under eight minutes left in the game, Jayden Daniels was sacked by Drake Thomas on the four-yard line as he attempted to rush the ball into the end zone himself.
However, the quarterback stayed down on the field and it quickly became apparent by the reaction of his teammates and the television replays that Washington's worst fears had been realised, Daniels had suffered a devastating injury.
The former Heisman Trophy winner had only just returned to action following a hamstring injury which had kept him out for the Commanders' defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs the week prior, but it was confirmed after the game that Daniels had suffered a dislocated elbow, and that he would have an MRI to determine the true extent of the damage and determine a timetable for his recovery.
The training staff assisted Daniels off the field with his arm immobilised in an air cast, while those Commanders fans who were left in the stadium gave the quarterback a warm ovation as he headed into the locker room.
Should Daniels have Still Been In the Game?
Head coach Dan Quinn has since faced significant criticism for keeping Daniels in the game despite the team trailing by 31 points in the fourth quarter, criticism which Quinn has taken accountability for.
While some fans argue that Daniels was in need of time on the field having already missed three games this season due to injury and with the offense struggling to get anything going, the majority of fans appear to have taken the view that it was foolish to have kept Daniels in the game with the outcome of the game already being decided. To add to this, many believe that Daniels was being put in harms way by the coaching staff given that he was getting sub-par protection from his offensive line all game.
According to ESPN Research, Daniels was hit 14 times by the Seattle defence and pressured on a career-high 51% of his dropbacks, including 61% in the second half.
Injuries Beginning to Mount for Commanders
To add insult to injury for the Commanders, Daniels was not the only player in the burgundy and gold to suffer a significant injury on Sunday night.
Wide receiver and returner Luke McCaffrey broke his collarbone on the very first play of the game, while cornerback Marshon Lattimore is feared to have torn his ACL, injuries which will rule both men out for the rest of the season.
They join the likes of Austin Ekeler (Achilles), Dorance Armstrong (ACL), Deatrich Wise Jr. (Quad), Terry McLaurin (Quad), Noah Brown (Groin), and Will Harris (Fibula) on the injury list, all of whom are considered starters for the Commanders.
Where do the Commanders Go from Here?
Coming off the back of an NFC Championship appearance last season, expectations for Washington heading into this season were sky-high. Especially given the aggressive moves they made in the offseason to acquire Laremy Tunsil, Deebo Samuel, and Von Miller to further bolster their roster in the hopes of another playoff push.
However, their season has been left in tatters through nine games, and general manager Adam Peters now has a tough call to make with the trade deadline upon us. Do the Commanders trade away their valuable assets in order to recoup some of the draft capital they relinquished recent trades? Or do they maintain their aggressive approach and try to salvage their remaining chances of turning their season around and securing a playoff berth?
They are currently two games off the provisional Wildcard spots, but with the team currently ranking 20th in the NFL in Points Per Game (22.3) and 23rd in Points Against Per Game (26.2) on top of both the injury crisis they are dealing with and the four-game losing streak they are in the midst of, a turnaround in their fortunes seems very unlikely.
With Daniels out for the foreseeable future, Marcus Mariota will take over as the starting quarterback for the Commanders. Mariota has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions in the five games he has played this season, with a QBR of 58.8.