The Washington Commanders got blown out by the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. That wasn't even the worst part of their fourth consecutive defeat, which all but ended their already slim hopes of making it into the postseason again.
Superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered an ugly elbow injury late in the fourth quarter after getting tackled near the goal line by Seattle's Drake Thomas. His left arm was immobilized, and he was surrounded by his teammates in an emotional scene that may as well have represented a funeral for the Commanders' season.
All week, and perhaps for the next two months, head coach Dan Quinn's decision not to pull Daniels from the game will fall under scrutiny. But the situation is much more difficult than it's been made out to be.
Santana Moss brings much needed context to Commanders losing Jayden Daniels
While the shock-jock outlets and angry keyboard warriors are predictably steaming with knee-jerk calls for Quinn's head, reason always wins out in the end. At least, we'd like to believe.
In that regard, former Washington wide receiver Santana Moss delivered a balanced assessment that everyone should take to heart.
Interesting talking w Santana Moss on Jayden's injury: "I can see both sides of it. Player's play...I understand how people look at it and say, 'it's over, he shouldnt be out there.' Damned if you do, damned if you don't."
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) November 3, 2025
This is Jayden Daniels we're talking about here. He's as cold-blooded a pure competitor as they come. He wasn't going to leave that game unless his body was ripped apart limb by limb. Unfortunately, that may as well have been what happened.
But you can't live life in fear of the worst possible outcome. Daniels' injury was a freak occurrence that could have happened just as easily in the first quarter as the fourth. If it's too big a risk for him to be on the field, then we might as well cancel the NFL.
Under the greater than 90 percent probability that nothing bad happens to Daniels in that situation, nobody bats an eye.
The Commanders have erred on the side of caution with him all season, sitting him out of games due to two prior injuries he may have been able to play through. Against the Seahawks, all he had to do was complete one or two more plays, and he was almost certainly done for the night.
Still, it doesn't erase the impact of the decision, and it's fair to hold Quinn accountable for that.
The responsibility for the direction this season has taken lies on the shoulders of everyone involved in this organization. Daniels' injury disaster will provide the most uncomfortable look in the mirror yet.