Washington's dynamic offensive engine goes down with a gruesome arm injury on the final play of the first half.
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels appeared to seriously injure his left elbow on the final play of the first half of Sunday's Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dallas led 17-10 at halftime, but Daniels' dynamic playmaking brought Washington deep into Cowboys territory looking to tie the game.
The play came on 3rd-and-goal at the end of a 15-play drive as time expired in the second quarter.
Daniels tripped on his left guard’s foot and went to brace his fall with his left arm, which dislocated on impact with the turf.
Daniels suffered an eerily similar-looking dislocated left elbow late last season. He also missed time earlier in the year when he exited a game against the Cowboys with a hamstring injury.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft was carted off the field at AT&T Stadium with a towel over his head. Marcus Mariota came on to replace Daniels under center.
Commanders coach Dan Quinn said initial imaging came back negative for fractures. Further testing will be done after Daniels travels back to the nation’s capital with the team.
Daniels had been carving up the Dallas defense with 96 yards on 11-of-17 passing and a game-high 69 yards rushing on seven carries (9.9 yards per rush) before going down. He completed a short touchdown pass to Stefon Diggs on the Commanders' second-to-last series of the half.
Washington thought to have scored another touchdown on a deep ball to receiver Terry McLaurin, but replay assist deemed the play an incomplete pass as McLaurin failed to survive the ground for the entirety of the catch.
Dallas is coming off a 28-20 loss last Sunday night at the New York Giants.
Washington gave up a late lead to the Philadelphia Eagles to lose 24-22 on the road in Week 1.
UPDATE: Dallas went on to beat the Washington 37-20.
Quarterback Dak Prescott threw four touchdowns to set a new Cowboys franchise record (249), passing his predecessor Tony Romo.
The Cowboys' next game is in Rio de Janeiro against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Commanders will gauge Daniels’ status with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and their strong defense come to town in Week 3.
