Commanders lose Daniels to gruesome arm injury during blowout loss to Seahawks

OPINION:

The Commanders endured a nightmare against the visiting Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night. Washington lost in a 38-14 blowout after quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a gruesome-looking injury to his left arm.  

As Daniels ran toward the goal line with seven and a half minutes left in the game, his non-throwing arm got caught under his body and torqued unnaturally in the process.

The air left Northwest Stadium. Fans held hands over their mouths as Daniels’ teammates dropped to a knee while medical personnel tended to the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Daniels walked back to the locker room without the assistance of a cart, but a cast held his arm motionless.

The few Washington fans who stuck around to witness the blowout greeted him with applause and chants of “JD5” as he left the game.  

The rest of the loss — an embarrassment for coach Dan Quinn’s Commanders — seemed irrelevant in the wake of Daniels’ injury.

The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner had already endured several injuries this season, missing two games with a knee sprain and a third with a hamstring issue.

The latest injury was an exclamation point on a disastrous night for Washington.

The Commanders, while debuting their “Super Bowl Era” throwback uniforms, couldn’t find any rhythm or spark in any phase of the game. The offense sputtered. The defense couldn’t find a stop.

Even the special teams group was uncharacteristically clumsy. Returner Luke McCaffrey joined the extensive list of injured Commanders receivers after hurting his shoulder on the game’s opening kickoff. He did not return.

Backup returner Jaylin Lane misplayed his first kickoff of the night, taking it from the landing zone into the end zone for a touchback to the 20-yard line instead of the 35. Lane fumbled his next return opportunity, which the Seahawks recovered at the 26-yard line.

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold found tight end Elijah Arroyo in the end zone on the very next play to give Seattle a 21-0 lead in the second quarter.

Darnold continued a strong start to the season, throwing four first-half touchdown passes — including two to rookie receiver Tory Horton — to help the Seahawks jump out to an early lead. The former first-round pick completed his first 17 passes, tying a franchise record.

His favorite target, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, continued a breakout campaign with eight catches for 129 yards.

Daniels tried to lead an offense without McCaffrey and top target Terry McLaurin, who was sidelined with a quad injury. The results were horrific, even before the injury.

Washington’s first four possessions featured two punts, an interception and the special teams fumble by Lane. Meanwhile, the Seahawks scored touchdowns on each of their four first-half drives.
Daniels avoided a shutout with a one-yard rushing touchdown as time ticked down in the first half. The lone score couldn’t spark a comeback.
The second-year signal-caller completed 16 of 22 passes for 153 yards with an interception. He was also the leading rusher for an anemic Commanders offense, adding 51 yards on the ground.
The second half was a formality. The Seahawks took their foot off the gas. 

Darnold recorded his first incompletion of the game in the third quarter. Seattle punted for the first time. None of it mattered.

Thousands of fans had abandoned the stadium before the start of the fourth quarter.

The Commanders’ offense couldn’t stand up to a stout Seahawks defense with a depleted group of weapons.

The Seahawks added a touchdown via a one-yard run by tight end A.J. Barner to pad the lead. Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez scored a one-yard touchdown following Daniels’ injury — there was no celebration.

In addition to the injuries to Daniels and McCaffrey, the Commanders also lost starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore to a knee injury. He was ruled out in the second half and sat on the sideline with a sleeve on his knee and a towel over his head as teammates appeared to share words of encouragement.

Washington, now 3-6, is clinging to life. They host the 5-3 Detroit Lions next Sunday in a must-win game.

The Commanders trail the Philadelphia Eagles by 3 1/2 games in the NFC East and find themselves on the outside of the wild-card race halfway through the NFL season.