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Jayden Daniels dislocates left elbow again, and Washington's season just got very uncertain

The Commanders quarterback was carted off the field in Arlington on Sunday after re-injuring the same elbow he dislocated last season. X-rays showed no fracture, but further tests Monday will shape what comes next for Washington.

Daniels goes down again, and Washington has no quick answers at quarterback

One yard from the end zone. Three seconds on the clock. And the worst possible way for the first half to end.

According to the Washington Post, Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was in visible pain after suffering a left elbow injury on the final play of the first half Sunday, and as he was carted off the field with his left arm in an air cast and a towel draped over his head, the Washington Commanders' future plunged into uncertainty. The result of the game, a 37-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, was irrelevant.

With the Commanders one yard from the end zone and just three seconds remaining before halftime, Washington opted against kicking a field goal while trailing 17-10 and instead ran a play with Daniels under center. Daniels stumbled while dropping back to pass and reached out with his left hand in an attempt to steady himself, but his elbow popped out of place as he awkwardly reached for the ground. He was carted off the field.

Daniels, who dislocated the same elbow last year, suffered the similar-looking injury when he got stepped on by left guard Chris Paul after taking an under-center snap at the Cowboys' 1-yard line. The pass fell incomplete, keeping the Cowboys' lead at 17-10.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Daniels had dislocated the elbow but that X-rays "showed no fracture." Daniels will undergo more tests Monday.

Quinn said he did not regret going for the touchdown in the situation rather than attempting a field goal because he felt Washington needed to score touchdowns to match the Cowboys' offense. "Anytime someone is injured you play the what-if game; I don't think this is one of those times for me," Quinn said.

Before the injury, Daniels was playing well. He was throwing for 96 yards and a touchdown while making one play after another on the ground, running seven times for 69 yards and breaking off multiple chunk gains. That only makes the sequence more painful to process.

Daniels had dislocated his left elbow last season, so Sunday's injury was of particular concern because it was to the same elbow. Medical analyst Dr. David Chao, posting on social media during the game, called it "a clear left elbow dislocation, similar to last season," noting that a "joint comes out easier the second time" because the "original ligament tear heals looser."

Mariota takes over, Dallas takes control

Daniels was replaced by backup Marcus Mariota. Mariota completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown in the loss. The numbers are respectable enough on paper, but Washington's offense as a whole stalled badly in the second half.

Washington got possession to start the second half, and Mariota pushed the ball down the field and found Dyami Brown with a deep shot to the end zone that was ruled incomplete on the field. The Commanders challenged the ruling, but the call was confirmed on review, and Washington ended up kicking a field goal.

Dallas ran away from there. Jaishawn Barham forced Dyami Brown to fumble in the third quarter, and Dee Winters scooped it up, allowing Dallas to score quickly and take a commanding 27-13 lead. CeeDee Lamb was the go-to guy all day, hauling in eight of nine targets for 153 yards with two touchdowns. Dak Prescott also became the Cowboys' all-time leader in touchdown passes during the win over the Commanders, surpassing Tony Romo with 249 in his career.

The final stat line tells the whole story: Washington was held to 156 passing yards and 35 rushing yards, while Dallas rolled up 264 passing yards and 116 rushing yards, with Prescott going 21 of 30 for three touchdowns.

Washington sits 0-2, and the mood inside the building Sunday night was far darker than a two-game losing streak alone would warrant. The Commanders spent the offseason rebuilding a team that finished 5-12 in 2025. Washington brought in several new pieces and entered the season with a revamped defense under new coordinator Daronte Jones, and also added veteran receiver Stefon Diggs to give Daniels another established weapon alongside Terry McLaurin. All of that planning assumed Daniels would be healthy and under center.

What comes next for Washington

Mariota is the backup. That is the reality the Commanders face going into Week 3, and potentially beyond, depending on what Monday's additional tests reveal. Washington struggled without Daniels in 2025 when he dealt with several injuries including a dislocated left elbow, and will have an uphill battle to remain competitive while he's out.

David Blough took over as offensive coordinator this year, meaning Daniels is operating in his third offensive system in three seasons. That transition looked uneven in Week 1 even with Daniels on the field.

The Commanders have no scheduled bye until later in the season. If Daniels misses any extended stretch, Washington's path back into NFC East contention, already narrow after back-to-back losses, runs almost entirely through a backup who last started meaningful games years ago. The air cast, the cart, the towel over the head: it all felt like a season tipping in the wrong direction, again, in the worst possible city for that particular kind of déjà vu.

Quinn said Monday's tests will determine more. Washington fans will be watching their phones.

Sources