Daniels injured in Commanders’ blowout loss to Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Commanders’ bad day kept getting worse during Sunday’s 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While being blown out by their rivals, Washington lost quarterback Jayden Daniels to a right hamstring injury. 

Daniels’ absence opened the floodgates in Sunday’s blowout embarrassment in Texas. 

When Daniels and the Commanders received the second-half kickoff, they were trailing by a manageable 12 points. But six plays into the first drive of the third quarter, Cowboys linebacker Shemar James sacked Daniels, forcing him to land awkwardly on his right leg. 

James forced a fumble in the process, which was ultimately recovered by the Cowboys.

Commanders fans had bigger concerns on the play. Daniels immediately reached for the back of his right leg after the hit. The LSU product limped to the sideline before heading to the locker room with athletic trainers.

The Commanders initially said their quarterback was questionable to return, but he remained sidelined for the remainder of the game. The team did not provide detailed information about the severity of the injury on Sunday, though the dual-threat passer will likely undergo further testing when he returns to the Washington area. 

Daniels has already missed two games this season with a sprained left knee. 

The Cowboys scored on the subsequent drive to stretch their lead to an insurmountable 34-15. 

The game got out of hand from there. Veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota filled in for Daniels, to minimal success. On his first drive of the day, Mariota floated a pass toward the sideline while desperately trying to avoid a swarm of Dallas defenders in the backfield. 

Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland jumped the poorly thrown ball, returning it 68 yards for a touchdown. 

Mariota completed four of his 10 pass attempts for 63 yards, adding 34 yards as a runner. 

Even before the injury, the Commanders were floundering. Without top receivers Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown — all suffering from lower-body injuries — Washington’s offense sputtered. 

Daniels completed just 12 of 22 passes for 156 yards with a lone touchdown to tight end Zach Ertz before his injury. The offense’s performance was marred by inconsistency with receivers dropping passes, quarterbacks missing open receivers and blockers allowing pass-rushers to penetrate the backfield with minimal resistance. 

The Washington defense was even worse. 

The Cowboys’ offense routinely gashed the Commanders’ secondary. All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb, in his first game since suffering an ankle injury last month, had a huge day, including a 74-yard touchdown in the first quarter. 

His teammate, fellow receiver George Pickens, picked on Washington’s cornerbacks all afternoon. He drew a 37-yard defensive pass interference to set up a touchdown on Dallas’ opening drive and maintained a hot hand throughout the game.