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By Andrew McCarty
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The Washington Commanders welcomed back star quarterback Jayden Daniels on Sunday night from his one-week hiatus when he missed Week 8 with a hamstring injury.
During the Week 9 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, Daniels was under fire from the very beginning. He was pressured on a career-high 51% of snaps, including 61% in the second half, and was hit 14 times — the last of which may have ended the star quarterback's season.
With under eight minutes to play and Washington trailing 38-7, Daniels was sacked while attempting to scramble and had his left arm bent awkwardly behind him while trying to brace for his fall. The talented quarterback reportedly suffered a dislocated left (non-throwing) elbow on the play and his status for the rest of the season remains up in the air.
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After the game, head coach Dan Quinn appeared to suggest that fault with the injury relies on the quarterback. Quinn revealed the play is generally meant to either be handed off to the running back or thrown to the flat, though there was no one open in the flat at the time.
"You don't want to think that way where an injury could take place," Quinn said. "It wasn't a designed read or play to that spot. If we run it 50 times, it's either a handoff or throw 50 times. So, yeah, it's a bummer, man."
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Following the injury and subsequent comments from Quinn, the head coach came under direct fire from former players and members of the media.
"Losing, that's the first way to lose a locker room," former Alabama star running back Damien Harris said. "Getting your star quarterback hurt? That's another way to lose your locker room. Not taking ownership and admitting to your mistakes as a head coach? That is the biggest, the final and the most obvious reason you're going to lose a locker room. I'm upset with Dan Quinn right now."
Harris wasn't alone. NFL reporter Mike Florio penned an entire column calling out Quinn and other coaches who don't protect their players.
"Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is, when healthy, a very good quarterback. He’s critical to the success of the Commanders. Without him (and especially at 3-6), the season is essentially over," Florio wrote. "So why was he playing in a game that was essentially over? Down 38-7 with 7:29 to play, why in the hell was Daniels in the game? Why did Quinn keep him in the game?"
Florio later suggested the Commanders could contemplate shortening Quinn's tenure.
"For Quinn, the season-ending (most likely) injury to Daniels will become part of Quinn’s legacy with the franchise. It’s basically his Washington version of 28-3. Depending on where things go from here (and particularly in 2026), it could shorten his stay," he said.
A year after making a surprise trip to the NFC title game, the Commanders look like a team headed for a losing season a passed-his-prime Marcus Mariota likely taking over as the starter for the rest of the season.
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