The Washington Commanders' offense looked paltry all night against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. With less than five minutes left in the game, the Commanders had just 160 yards of offense and trailed 27-10.
Meanwhile, the Packers have gone over 400 and dominated all evening. Tight end Tucker Kraft has looked unstoppable.
But things got even worse for Washington. During a late, garbage-time drive, Commanders running back Austin Ekeler suffered a non-contact injury. He was helped off the field and eventually carted to the locker room.
Commanders RB Austin Ekeler just suffered a non-contact lower leg injury. Looks to be in a lot of pain, was helped off of the field, and was not putting any weight on his foot. pic.twitter.com/95WCHdt87J
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) September 12, 2025
The Commanders quickly confirmed that it is an Achilles injury for Ekeler. He did not return to the game, which ended up as a 27-18 loss for Washington. After the game, the Commanders' worst fears started to come true, as it is believed that Ekeler suffered a torn Achilles according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The veteran running back is still slated to have an MRI on Friday to confirm the injury, but for now it looks like his season is over.
Ekeler has a long history of injuries. Those include several concussions, separate ankle injuries, hip and hamstring issues, among others.
The Commanders traded their starting running back, Brian Robinson Jr., to the San Francisco 49ers just before the season started. It was a stunning development, with Washington citing their depth at the position.
Suddenly, Washington is staring down the barrel of a depleted backfield.
Washington used a 2025 seventh-round draft pick on tailback Jacory Croskey-Merritt. But rarely ever do seventh-round backs make a huge splash in the NFL. Following a solid debut in Week 1 against the lowly New York Giants, Croskey-Merritt has been unable to get anything going against the Packers.
Before leaving with injury, the same could be said for Ekeler. He ran the ball eight times for just 17 yards, adding two catches for seven yards.