There is a lot at stake for the Washington Commanders during their bitter Week 7 rivalry clash with the Dallas Cowboys. Nothing but a win will do, so going into the game severely under-strength is not exactly ideal.
That's precisely what Dan Quinn is facing. The head coach will once again be without some key personnel for the clash against his old employers. It's a depressingly familiar feeling by now, and the staff will already have coping mechanisms in place despite being stretched to the limit within certain position groups.
One of those is at the receiver spot. Noah Brown went to injured reserve after the Commanders weren't seeing enough during his rehabilitation. After a positive outlook earlier in the week, second-team All-Pro wideout Terry McLaurin barely practiced and was ruled out.
Commanders will be without Deebo Samuel in Week 7 as injury crisis worsens
This is a hammer blow. And it could get even worse if Deebo Samuel Sr. isn't available for the contest.
Samuel has been dealing with a heel injury that is causing him distress. The Commanders took his status for Week 6 against the Chicago Bears right up until the last minute before giving him the all-clear. While he suited up, it was clear something was amiss with the former South Carolina standout.
After the Commanders took an extremely cautious approach with Samuel throughout practices this week, they officially listed him as questionable. Tom Pelissero from the NFL Network revealed that it could legitimately go either way, and the player wasn't giving much away to the media after Friday's session.
Although Samuel acknowledged that the heel problem is aggravating him, he also said it was a wait-and-see scenario regarding his status. But his harsh reality arrived much sooner this week.
The Commanders downgraded Samuel to out on Saturday before traveling to Dallas. They called up Robbie Chosen from the practice squad, who was being quietly readied for more work throughout the week. However, this cannot be seen as anything other than a blow — something that leaves Jayden Daniels with his three projected starting wide receivers.
Expect the Commanders to rely heavily on their rushing attack. Dallas' defense is vulnerable to almost any competent ground game. At the same time, they can easily stack the box consistently without much of a threat coming from the pass-catchers at Washington's disposal.
This isn't what Adam Petters had in mind. But it comes with the territory when you overrely on aging players who are more susceptible to health concerns during a grueling NFL season.