In the final seconds of the Washington Commanders' comeback attempt against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, running back Austin Ekeler was hit hard and concussed. Briefly motionless on the field, Ekeler eventually got to the sidelines. Unfortunately, that concussion is sending Ekeler to injured reserve, per NFL insider Tom Pelissero.

Ekeler was already listed out for the Commanders' Week 13 matchup against the Tennessee Titans before the move to injured reserve. Tackle Andrew Wylie is also out because of a concussion. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore is doubtful after being limited in practice all week.

Washington is now 7-5 after dropping three straight games. If the playoffs began today, the Commanders would hold the No. 7 seed in the NFC.

Commanders on edge of postseason contention

Maybe the accolades and attention got to the heads of Washington's players. Rookie quarterback Jaylen Daniels insists there hasn't been a rookie wall, due to the long season and more improvement will come after “speed bumps.”

“I mean, I don't know,” Daniels said. “Obviously, it's longer, so it's different. It's just stuff getting used to, like usually right now in college, the season's about the end. Our season, it's just starting, somewhere like the second half of the season. So, I mean, that's different, but I don't really know the definition of a rookie wall. I just know that NFL season is longer than college.”

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Commanders superfan Kevin Durant had a word of advice for his team during his weekly appearance on the Up and Adams Show.

“Come in, watch a bunch of film this week, understand the small details is why you win football games or why you win anything in life, it's the details,” Durant said. “You get back to focusing in on the details, the fundamentals of the game, we'll be fine.”

Head coach Dan Quinn got into the weeds of how the team needs to run plays out of the shotgun or pistol to get better, per The Athletic's Ben Standig.

“I think you're probably also referring to, like, the sneak part too, because the distance in the pistol and if the quarterback's under, it's pretty similar. Sometimes, it might be a little bit deeper depending on the depth of the quarterback, but that's why some guys like being under a pistol where they can get their shoulders squared downhill.

“So, that sometimes is as much as anything where if you were running a short yardage play where you didn't want to have to turn too much, I could be direct access. So, sometimes, the pistol can help with that. If you're coming on an angle from the side, an angling block usually creates some movement down.”

The Commanders host the Titans on Sunday, December 1, at 1:00 p.m. EST.