Nov 2, 2025; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is helped off the field after an injury during the second half against the Seattle Seahawks at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Jayden Daniels got injured in the most Washington football team way possible. The reigning offensive rookie of the year was still in a game his Commanders trailed 38-7 midway through the fourth quarter. A second-and-goal carry ended with an awkward landing on his non-throwing arm. As trainers moved to immobilize his elbow, it was clear he wouldn't return in Week 9 -- and maybe not for several weeks or even months to come in 2025.

It brought back immediate, painful memories of losing Robert Griffin III in 2012. Like Daniels, Griffin was a Heisman Trophy winner drafted second overall. Like Daniels, Griffin led Washington to a surprising playoff appearance as a rookie. And, like Daniels, Griffin was injured at FedEx Field in a game he arguably shouldn't have been in in the first place.

Daniels' place behind center in a blowout was likely to up his reps in a season where he'd missed three games due to a lower body injury. But he'd already been hit a ton on a night where the Seattle Seahawks defense swarmed to him with regularity. He'd been sacked four times, hit seven more and forced to scramble six times (by my count) on 36 dropbacks. The abuse was likely to continue.

What was it for? The Commanders' win percentage when he dropped back on second-and-goal was a robust 0.1 percent. It had been 0.1 percent since there were two minutes left in the third quarter. This game was over; all that lingered for Washington was practice and risk. And thus, head coach Dan Quinn made a stupid bet and won a stupid prize.

While Daniels' injury likely won't be the career-altering devastation that prevented Griffin from ever reaching his 2012 heights again, it does cement one thing. The Commanders, filled with the promise of a reloaded roster and franchise quarterback following 2024's surprise run to the NFC title game, won't build off last year's success.

Sunday night's loss dropped them to 3-6 on the season. Their playoff odds, per The Athletic, sat at eight percent before Week 9. They're now 3.5 games behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East race and 2.5 games behind the 5-3 teams in the NFC wild card chase. They've got eight games to make up ground, several of which will likely be started by Marcus Mariota at quarterback. Mariota has started three games since 2022, all with Washington this fall. He's 1-2 with a win over the hapless Las Vegas Raiders in that stretch.

Pulling out of this tailspin would have been daunting even with Daniels in the lineup. The second year quarterback had taken a modest step back form his dizzying 2024. His good-not-great play ranked only 21st among starting passers when it came to advanced metrics. That wasn't enough to overcome a defense whose efforts to reload last offseason moved it all the way from 18th in points allowed last fall to... 21st in 2025. That number will only get worse after allowing Sam Darnold to complete 16 of 16 passes and throw four touchdown passes in the first half alone Sunday night.

2025 was supposed to be a year of seized opportunity. Washington built around Daniels' inexpensive rookie contract by bringing in expensive short-term additions like Deebo Samuel and Laremy Tunsil. That was always a dangerous strategy from which the team could easily pivot -- the Commanders have a projected $84 million in salary cap space next spring, fifth-most in the NFL, after all -- but one that was supposed to usher in a new era of competence. These Commanders weren't the franchise that won two playoff games in 24 years of dysfunction under human rug burn Dan Snyder. They had adults in the room, whether it was the veterans on the field or running things on the sideline.

On a night where Washington honored Hall of Famer Art Monk the franchise accidentally paid tribute to the heart of those Snyder years instead. Its promising young quarterback built expectations he'd be unable to fulfill. The Commanders saw hope begin to bloom like local cherry blossoms, then found out their efforts to nurture those buds merely managed to prune them back to the bedraggled trunks they'd been for the past three decades.

The 2025 season was already a disaster for the Washington Commanders. Daniels' injury, suffered in the fourth quarter of a game his team trailed by 31, merely summed it up in six seconds of field time. He may come back in 2025, or he may wait until 2026 for a team that could badly use a reset after failing to seize 2024's momentum.

There's still plenty of time to capitalize on Daniels, even writing off this fall. The Commanders of old wouldn't have been able to do it. These new Commanders? Only time will tell if new owner Josh Harris is up for the task.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Jayden Daniels' injury cements the Commanders' lost year

Reporting by Christian D'Andrea, For The Win / For The Win

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