Jayden Daniels' injury prognosis could determine Commanders' fate in 2024

Jayden Daniels emerged from his toughest test of the campaign to date with credit. He kept the Washington Commanders competitive at the Baltimore Ravens and was far from the biggest catalyst behind their demise. Winning is all that matters to the quarterback, but this was an undoubted silver lining from the clash.

Daniels has a steely determination in his demeanor during and after the game. He knows the Commanders can mix it with almost anybody when firing on all cylinders. Bouncing back in the face of adversity is something Washington has already accomplished this season with the No. 2 pick under center. They were looking for something similar at home to the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.

The Commanders were heavily favored to triumph, especially considering how many injuries Carolina's head coach Dave Canales was dealing with. As it turned out, Daniels' time on the field was extremely brief.

Commanders nervously await official Jayden Daniels injury timeline

The Heisman Trophy winner suffered a rib injury on Washington's first drive of the game. Daniels tried to soldier on but was in too much discomfort. The Commanders took him for X-rays in the locker room and eventually ruled him out. That was the right call considering the standard of opposition in Week 7 whether he was healthy to participate or not.

Daniels' mother and ESPN's Jeremy Fowler left hope that this was nothing too serious. Head coach Dan Quinn didn't have anything further to add after the contest, but things should become clearer once Washington's new prized possession undergoes further tests on Monday.

"I cannot give you an update on Jayden, but I will just as soon as we find out. We’ll do some further tests tomorrow [Monday] and then when we get together in the afternoon, we’ll give you an update. But I don’t have anything for everybody else asking the same thing; same answer. So, just wanted to make sure I was super clear on that."

- Dan Quinn via USA Today

Everyone associated with the franchise will be waiting with bated breath for positive news. The Commanders are on a high for the first time in years. Any prolonged absence for Daniels is going to be a devastating blow to the team's chances despite an encouraging outing from Marcus Mariota in Week 7.

Washington invested heavily in Daniels this offseason with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. They believed he had the traits and the character to pick this storied organization off its knees and back into contention. His start has been nothing short of phenomenal, so they can ill afford any setbacks with a potential NFC East title challenge in their immediate future.

Daniels carries the fate of the franchise in the palm of his hand. Hopefully, the news will be positive and the signal-caller won't need to miss any time. One game out isn't the end of the world, even if it'll be a blow to CBS after the flexed Washington's game against the Chicago Bears to their prime late afternoon slot.

The Commanders have some leeway sitting at 5-2. Mariota is serviceable, but he won't face anything like the woeful Panthers' defense again. Daniels is the glue that holds this ambitious project together. Expectations would change immediately if the prognosis isn't great.

Fingers crossed for positive developments in the coming hours.

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