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tv went down with a dislocated elbow during Washington’s Week 2 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas – and it’s not the reaction to the injury itself that has NFL fans talking. It’s how his teammates responded afterward.
The injury happened on the final play of the first half. The Commanders trailed 17-10 at the time. They had a shot at a field goal that would’ve cut Dallas’ lead to four, but Washington called a pass play instead. Daniels stumbled during his drop back.
He tried to catch himself with his left arm. Instead, his elbow bent backward and popped out of the socket.
Jayden Daniels was carted off vs. the Cowboys after going down with an apparent elbow injury.
Daniels tried to hold himself up as he was falling down and his elbow bent in an awkward way.
(📺 FOX) https://t.co/dcTQLDgKws
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 20, 2026
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn met with reporters after the game and said X-rays came back clean — no fracture. Daniels will fly home with the team and undergo further imaging on Monday.
“Once I know an update that we can move forward with then I’ll give you that,” Quinn said. “Man, are we bummed for him. He was really playing his ass off. We will rally so hard around Marcus (Mariota) until Jayden’s back. That’s what we talked about as a team.”
Quinn also addressed the decision to throw the ball near the goal line instead of taking the safer field goal attempt.
“I thought looking back on it, at the 1-yard line, we need touchdowns,” Quinn explained. “I don’t regret that call. Obviously any time someone’s injured you play the ‘what if’ game. I don’t think this is one of those times for me. I hate that it happened. … I wasn’t hesitant about going into that spot. We’re going to be aggressive in this game against their offense. So I don’t regret that. Obviously, the outcome sucks. But it wasn’t a ‘what if’ or ‘I wish I had done something differently.’”
Fans notice the offensive line’s reaction — or lack of one
Here’s where things got uncomfortable online. As Daniels lay hurt, several offensive linemen barely reacted. Video circulating on social media shows them glancing over, then walking straight to the locker room.
That didn’t sit well with a lot of people watching.
His whole offensive line takes a glance, shows little concern, and just walks off to the locker room. Terrible look. https://t.co/U8xucmnstP
— Anthony Rivardo (@Anthony_Rivardo) September 20, 2026
Ya wtf is this
— Brody (@NYGseason) September 20, 2026
Only Mariota took a knee ? Damn
— Boppa 🧟♂️ (@ihatebbls) September 21, 2026
Whether the linemen’s reaction says anything meaningful about team chemistry — or whether it’s simply how some players process seeing a teammate get hurt in real time — is up for debate. Either way, it added an unwelcome subplot to an already rough night for Washington.
A tough follow-up to a strong start
Daniels had been playing well before the injury. Sunday, he’d completed 11 of 17 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, adding 69 yards on seven carries before leaving the game. That followed a Week 1 outing against the Philadelphia Eagles — a 24-22 loss — where he went 18-for-34 for 164 yards and two touchdowns, plus 31 yards on the ground.
The Cowboys pulled away late, winning 37-20.
Daniels, who won the Heisman Trophy at LSU and led Washington to the NFC Championship game as a rookie, now faces a stretch on the sideline. How long exactly remains to be seen, but there’s added concern given the history here.
This is the same elbow — his non-throwing arm — that he dislocated back in November of last season. He missed four weeks recovering from that injury, came back, then reaggravated it almost immediately and was shut down for the remainder of the year.
For a team already searching for stability after a Week 1 defeat, losing its franchise quarterback to the same injury for a second straight season is about as bad as it gets.
