The Detroit Lions are reeling after their shocking 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Making matters worse, an already injured team saw numerous players, including nearly the entire offensive line, getting looked at on the sideline or in the locker room. But as the old saying goes, it can always be worse.
The Lions' next opponent, the Washington Commanders, will enter their Week 10 late-afternoon match-up with a lengthy list of injuries. None bigger than quarterback Jayden Daniels, whose sophomore season has been marred by injuries. Daniels has missed three games this season, first with a sprained knee in Week 2, which led to him missing two games. After three weeks of play upon his return, Daniels then pulled his hamstring, and he missed another week.
Daniels' latest return in a 38-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks ended with his most gruesome injury yet. Midway through the fourth quarter, when the Seahawks were up 31, Daniels attempted to run into the endzone on second and goal. During the tackle, Daniel's non-throwing elbow dislocated as he braced for his fall. Daniels did not play another down and spent the rest of the game wearing an air cast. Daniels is expected to miss Sunday's game against the Lions and likely most, if not all, of the remaining games on the season, pending an MRI.
It's a devastating loss for the Commanders, and a preventable one at that. Why was Daniels still in the game? Daniels had been nursing numerous injuries throughout the season, and the probability of a comeback was virtually 0%. Maybe not impossible, but a lot would've had to go right in those final minutes to even make it to overtime. It was a senseless decision by head coach Dan Quinn to keep Daniels in the game, one that was reminiscent of the Robert Griffin III injury at the end of his record-breaking rookie season in 2013.
Assuming Daniels does not play, Marcus Mariota will start in his place on Sunday. In his five games and three starts on the season, Mariota had four touchdown passes to four interceptions, along with two fumbles. It may not stand out as impressive, but neither did J.J. McCarthy's numbers heading into last Sunday.
It's not just Daniels who will be missing the Lions game
The Lions will miss out on their opportunity to prove they can stop Daniels, after Daniels and the Commanders' offense dominated the Lions in last season's divisional round upset. The Commanders will also be missing a few more familiar names from that game.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, star wide receiver Terry McLaurin is expected to miss Sunday's game with a quad injury. McLaurin, who recently signed a massive deal ending a lengthy holdout, has only played in four games this season with 203 receiving yards and one TD reception.
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Daniels wasn't the only injury in the Seahawks game, either. WR and return specialist Luke McCaffrey broke his collarbone on the opening kickoff of the game. On defense, cornerback Marcus Lattimore tore his ACL, according to Rapoport.
Lions fans have had this game circled for months as a big revenge game. When the Lions and Commanders kick off on Sunday, the Commanders will look drastically different than the one back in January between these injuries and the trade deadline. Even so, the Lions should not take this Commanders team lightly. The Lions are banged up, too, and Quinn will have his team motivated and ready to fight in front of their home crowd. The Lions have to approach this week as if the Commanders are at full strength. If not, the Lions may start to find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture, too.