Hopefully, Washington Commanders fans have not terminated their lease for residence in the land of hopelessness and pain, because their year of happiness has quickly descended into the state of despair they have become so accustomed to experiencing over the last couple of decades. Jayden Daniels' injury, and the circumstances surrounding it, is producing endless fury among the NFL-watching world.
The second-year quarterback suffered a dislocated elbow versus the Seattle Seahawks while trying to run for a touchdown with his team down 31 points in the fourth quarter. Although the prognosis is better than initially feared, Daniels will be forced to miss more time. Sunday night's flop in Northwest Stadium was already a strong indicator that this squad was going to miss the playoffs, but now Washington will have to wait to further develop its QB.
This terrible situation was seemingly avoidable. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, knowing that Daniels had sustained knee and hamstring issues earlier in the year, opted to keep him on the field during garbage time. Yes, it was a fluke injury that could have occurred at any point during the action, and yes, many teams make the same decision and are spared ridicule, but the risk factor was quite high in this specific instance.
Daniels' slender frame is not ideal for his run-heavy playing style, but he is a competitor who will refuse to let his limitations get in the way of his on-field effort. Ergo, the onus is on the coaching staff to take precautions when necessary. Quinn told reporters after the loss that the play was not intended to result in a scramble, emphasizing the “bad luck” element that was present during the sequence. Fans do not want to hear his explanations, however.
Commanders' Dan Quinn gets lambasted
People are both furious and dumbfounded. “Obviously this particular instance of refusal to surrender is incomprehensible,” @ericduick opined on X. {Jayden} Daniels has an aggressive play style and had just returned from his second absence of season. Dan Quinn saying it’s not a designed scramble is delusional and irrelevant. Bad things can happen.”
“I don’t care,” @JayDanielsMVP posted. “Jayden Daniels getting injured is 100% on Dan Quinn & the coaching staff. NO reason why your starting QB should be in the game down 38-7 playing in garbage time.” David Aldridge of The Athletic also expressed his displeasure with Quinn's choice to leave in Daniels instead of going to capable backup Marcus Mariota.
“It was, simply, malpractice, for Jayden Daniels to be playing in the fourth quarter Sunday night,” the longtime reporter wrote in his column. Quinn is unlikely to get fired despite fans' pleas, but the goodwill he built last season is rapidly evaporating.
Injuries, questionable decision-making and poor execution have prevented the squad from building on its 2024-25 NFC Championship appearance. Now, with No. 5 back on the shelf, there is currently little reason to emotionally invest in this franchise.
Perhaps the Commanders wanted Daniels to shake off the rust after a layoff, but they cannot lose sight of the bigger picture. Washington will remain under the microscope until it returns to an upward trajectory.
