It started bad because of injuries, and then got worse for the Washington Commanders when Jayden Daniels got hurt. That injury created the inevitable comparisons to RG III. And the 2025 Washington Commanders’ season is sunk if Daniels misses multiple games.
Injuries have crushed the Commanders this season. They entered Sunday’s game against the Cowboys without Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, and Noah Brown. That left Daniels with a retread group of receivers, and the Commanders predictably got blown out.
On top of that, Daniels suffered a hamstring injury that threatens his availabilty in the coming weeks. And the schedule says that’s a recipe for disaster for the Commanders.
Commanders in deep trouble with QB Jayden Daniels
The Commanders travel to play the Chiefs next Monday night. That’s a possible loss with Daniels in the lineup. Without him, it’s a huge underdog role.
With a record already below .500, a fifth loss puts the Commanders in a position where they might be able to lose only one game the rest of the way to get into the postseason. And they have the Lions, Broncos, Eagles (twice), and Cowboys left on the schedule. Even if they went 3-2 in those games and beat everybody else, that’s a 10-7. The problem is the other opponents are the Seahawks, Vikings, and improving Giants. None of those are pushovers.
So Daniels missing multiple games is a disastrous issue for the Commanders. And as Daniels awaits the results of an MRI on Monday, it doesn’t look good, according to a post on X by David J. Chao via Newsweek.com.
“Everyone’s question now is how much time? How much time [will he miss]?” Chao said. “Honestly, too early to tell. An MRI is a Grade 1, 2 or 3, but the way that Washington has treated him with his previous left knee is conservative. … Even if it’s Grade 1, you don’t want to turn a mild hamstring into a moderate, more severe one and miss more time.
“I think he’s going to unfortunately miss some time. Is it going to be IR? I certainly hope not. As we say, there’s really no such thing as a one-week hamstring strain. Look at Lamar Jackson; if you’re going to be out, you’re going to be out.”
Daniels was injured with 11:53 left in the third quarter when Dallas linebacker Shemar James hit him and knocked the ball loose. Daniels limped off the field and eventually headed to the locker room.
Quinn said Daniels might have even felt his hamstring on the play before, according to ESPN.
QB Jayden Daniels’ leadership would be missed
It’s not just the playmaking ability that Daniels brings to the field. It’s the way he commands the Commanders. The players follow him, and that makes a big difference.
“Oh man, to see one of our leaders going down it definitely affected the team,” linebacker Frankie Luvu said. “He's one of them guys we lean towards. I hope he comes back stronger than what he is.”
Receiver Jaylin Lane said it was tough for the players to watch as Daniels left the game.
“It definitely hurt to see that,” Lane said. “It looks like he's doing OK, but yeah, it's always a next-man-up mentality.”
Daniels missed two games already the season. The Commanders fared well against the Raiders, but couldn’t keep pace with the Falcons. Marcus Mariota is a capable backup, but his clownishly bad throw against the Cowboys ended any hope of a miracle comeback as it led to DaRon Bland’s pick-six.
Also, as head coach Dan Quinn noted, the Commanders have other problems, not just Daniels, according to The Washington Post.
“To have a performance like that, I think that's fair, to dig in to say: ‘All right, what are the things that need to be different?'” Quinn said. “‘And what are the things that [we] need to continue to improve upon?' In eight days, we play again. And it has to be better, man.”
At least on NFL analyst hasn’t put the Commanders in the 2025 tank, according to NFL on NBC’s post on YouTube.
“They’re 3-4, they’re still in position to settle things down,” said Mike Florio. “Hopefully they won’t lose Jayden Daniels for long. He wanted to get back in the game. Dan Quinn said that after the game. They need him on the field. But I think they’ll stabilize. It’s one game. You flush it and move on.”
