Jayden Daniels’ elbow harm is newest merciless knife twist in Commanders’ season gone awry

LANDOVER, Md. — Postgame locker rooms say quite a bit a couple of crew. Victorious ones, particularly after an enormous sport, are jubilant, with grown males pouring water on heroes and leaping up and down with childlike pleasure. Sufficient to place a smile on anybody’s face. Defeated locker rooms really feel solemn, with the vibrancy of the room changed by rigidity and frustration.

After which there are locker rooms just like the Washington Commanders‘ as Sunday night time spilled into Monday morning. It was, in giant swaths, empty. A number of gamers had already left by the point media members had been allowed to enter. Different gamers filed in late. Some departed and returned.

The trigger for all of the comings and goings? Jayden Daniels, who was not distant within the bowels of Northwest Stadium after struggling a ugly elbow harm late within the sport. As if a disastrous 38-14 loss to the Seahawks wasn’t sufficient, the face of the franchise and the chief of a soccer resurgence within the nation’s capital was harm, the cruelest twist of the knife in a season stuffed with them.

“It simply f—ing harm, like actually, it harm, like you possibly can really feel that proper now,” stated Josh Johnson, the veteran backup quarterback talking barely louder than a whisper. “Everyone’s shocked. Everyone’s surprised slightly bit.

“That is the perfect I bought for you,” he stated, mustering a weary half-laugh.

“It is actually powerful to see him go down,” stated Bobby Wagner, one among Daniels’ closest buddies on the crew, the veteran and the teenager united by their southern California roots, trash discuss and basketball. “… That is pray time. That is pray, and let him really feel the feelings that he is feeling and simply ship plenty of positivity on the market.”

Then there was Zach Ertz, the veteran tight finish whose profession Daniels has helped revive. He used one phrase to explain how he was feeling. “Distraught,” earlier than including, “I care about Jayden the particular person rather more than the participant. The participant’s phenomenal, like I’ve stated, one among greatest gamers within the league, however for me I care concerning the particular person. He is meant a lot to me, our relationship.”

Coach Dan Quinn stated he did not take into consideration taking Daniels out earlier than the ill-fated drive. The Commanders trailed 38-7 when Daniels trotted onto the sphere for what can be his remaining drive of the night time. With out two of his high three large receivers, Daniels had discovered little downfield all night time. Along with his offensive line typically struggling, he had taken loads of hits. Washington had, for all intents and functions, given up on profitable the sport; the offense was not in hurry-up mode or making an attempt to assault by way of the air.

“Clearly I am simply gutted by it, I am simply bummed,” Quinn stated. “We did not have any learn performs on it, and the one he was injured on is normally a run or a throw to the flat. It isn’t a scramble. It wasn’t a designed learn or play into that spot. If we run it 50 occasions, it is both a handoff or a throw 50 occasions.”

That is the kind of season it has been for Washington. The points that should not occur, that could not occur, that do not occur for the crew to achieve success have all occurred. The offense has been ravaged by accidents. The protection has develop into a discombobulated mess. Seattle’s Sam Darnold was 16 for 16 for 282 yards and 4 touchdowns within the first half, turning into the primary quarterback since at the very least 1990 to throw for 250 yards and 4 touchdowns whereas finishing all his passes in a single half.

“For us to have points that allowed them to have that night time are beautiful,” Quinn stated. “We could not cease them, and we fully stopped ourself. I am livid, clearly.”

Even then, although, there was the hope that Daniels supplies, even when not this season however for the long run. He had already missed three video games this season, two for an ankle harm and one for a hamstring. He is been harm on sacks and scrambles. However that is the primary time he is been harm in a very unwinnable sport; groups down 31 or extra within the fourth quarter are 0-464. All of it felt so … empty. There’s that phrase once more.

Can this crew defend him? Can it present the assist he wants, each defensively and offensively, so he is not constantly having to chase video games or really feel the burden of the offense squarely on his shoulders? The 54% strain fee he confronted Sunday night time was the very best in his profession. The second-highest (49%) got here towards the Packers in Week 2, when he suffered the ankle harm. That is no coincidence.

“I believe the reply to that’s we’ll give him the assist to do this,” Quinn stated. “And I am sure of that, to ensure we try this in each single manner. And that is … offense, protection, the entire manner by way of, man. I completely really feel that manner on the hamstring harm and tonight with an elbow. It is actually vital we get that half proper, and we’ll.”

However they will not — or they can not, nevertheless you’d wish to phrase it — this yr. That’s the brutally disappointing reality a couple of brutally disappointing soccer crew. The oldest crew within the NFL appears to be like the half. Quinn has tried altering personnel to attempt to get extra pace on the sphere and simplifying the calls to get his gamers enjoying sooner. It labored for one half in Week 8 towards Kansas Metropolis earlier than it fell aside. It by no means fell aside Monday night time as a result of it was a catastrophe from the beginning. There are not any simple solutions. There won’t be any solutions, interval, this season.

“Final week I assumed we took two steps ahead, and tonight three steps again,” Quinn stated. “And that is a horrible recipe.”

On the offensive aspect, Terry McLaurin, 30, had not missed a sport in 4 years. He has now missed 5 this yr with a troubling (and troublesome, contemplating his age) quad harm. Noah Brown hasn’t performed since Week 2. The offensive line has been inconsistent. The operating sport has fallen aside.

The Commanders had been, arguably, at all times as a result of regress. Rather less close-game luck. Rather less harm luck. A little bit fall off from an ageing roster. A giant soar in schedule problem. They tried to struggle that off. They tried to raise Daniels’ environment with left deal with Laremy Tunsil and proper deal with Josh Conerly Jr. and large receiver Deebo Samuel. They tried to fortify the defensive entrance and the secondary.

It has failed. That is the fickle nature of soccer and roster constructing. The shock gamers who helped propel the Commanders to their first NFC Championship Sport in over 30 years final yr have not made the identical influence this yr. The foundational items have been harm or underachieved.

Washington, now 3-6 and with out its beginning quarterback, is enjoying out the string. It is a beautiful fall, one no participant or coach will admit. They are going to discuss, and did discuss, about what’s wanted to show the season round, about stepping up with their quarterback down.

However this season has uncovered main flaws, and Daniels’ newest harm has highlighted it in daring, crimson ink for all to see. There’s a lengthy solution to go, for Daniels and for the group. The shock and the sorrow got here Sunday night time. The questions will linger, up and down the roster, the teaching employees and the entrance workplace, for weeks and months to come back.