Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered another brutal injury setback on Sunday, immediately casting a shadow over the Cowboys’ home opener win against their rival Commanders. Health continues to define the early career of one of the NFL’s brightest young stars, and this latest blow could reshape the Commanders’ season outlook entirely.
Jayden Daniels’ Nightmare Continues
Before the injury, Daniels was absolutely locked in, reminding everyone just how talented he is. Coming off an impressive fourth quarter against the Eagles last week, he was giving the Cowboys all kinds of fits as a scrambler, tearing them up with seven carries for 69 yards. He was making sound decisions in the passing game too, going 11-for-17 for 96 yards and a touchdown. He’d found a groove in new coordinator David Blough’s offense, looking poised to finally build on his historic 2024 rookie season after battling various injuries last year that forced him to miss 10 games and play many more at less than 100%. But then, the setback. On the very last play of the second quarter, he sustained a serious injury to his left elbow, the exact same one he dislocated and re-injured last season. He was carted off to the locker room with a towel on his head and quickly ruled out. It looked bad, like we’re talking an extended absence. This is devastating for Daniels and for Washington. The franchise goes as far as he takes them: a healthy rookie season meant an NFC Championship Game appearance, while last season’s injuries meant missing the playoffs entirely. We can’t speculate on how bad it is right now, but it’s a major hiccup for the Commanders’ hopes of contention.
Cowboys Offense Flies, But Ground Game Stalls
While all eyes were on Daniels, Dallas was busy putting up points, cruising comfortably against the Commanders. Their high-octane offense scored 37 points and racked up 266 passing yards. But let’s be real, their running game? It went nowhere. We’re talking 66 yards total, with only 33 rushing yards more than 40 minutes into the game. That’s a problem. It wasn’t much better in their season opener against the Giants, either, where they only managed 69 rushing yards on 18 carries, a meager 3.8 yards per rush attempt. The run blocking has not been good. Next Gen Stats showed lead running back Javonte Williams getting contacted behind the line of scrimmage on half of his carries, 6-of-12, in Week 1. The Cowboys can definitely throw the ball against anyone, but there will come a time when they absolutely have to be able to run it effectively. Not only does that keep them from being one-dimensional, it helps control the clock. Quarterback Dak Prescott said their motto for the season is “GOTI,” for the “greatest offense there is.” To live up to that, Dallas has to figure out how to get that rushing attack going. Oh, and let’s not forget their defensive showing in the opener against the Giants was described as “putrid,” the worst of all the league’s defenses during opening week according to some metrics.
This is a wild start for both these teams. Washington’s whole season hangs in the balance with Daniels’ health, and Dallas has to find balance themselves if they want to be considered truly elite.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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