Jayden Daniels’ injury isn’t serious but defensive woes threaten to derail the Commanders’ season

WASHINGTON (AP) — Of all the bad things that the Washington Commanders did, or that happened to them, in their latest loss — and it’s a lengthy list — nothing was as worrisome as the sight of Jayden Daniels grabbing at his right hamstring as he limped off the field following a sack and fumble in the third quarter.

While the MRI exam the quarterback had Monday showed nothing “significant or long-term,” coach Dan Quinn said, Daniels’ status for the team’s next game was uncertain, and there were plenty of other problems to deal with following a 44-22 drubbing by the Dallas Cowboys.

“It’s very frustrating,” Quinn said. “We’re going to look at everything.”

They’d better.

His Commanders own a two-game losing streak, a 3-4 record that puts them in third place in the NFC East and a defense that is one of the NFL’s worst.

“It’s embarrassing, honestly,” defensive lineman Daron Payne said. “We got a way better team than we are putting on tape.”

It won’t get any easier with a schedule that includes a Monday night road game next week against Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City, followed by games against Seattle and Detroit.

Daniels already missed two games this year with an injured left knee that currently is being protected by a brace. It was the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year whose magic helped Washington go 12-5 and reach the NFC championship game last season.

“To see one of our leaders going down, it definitely affected the team,” linebacker Frankie Luvu said after the loss at Dallas. “He’s one of the guys we lean toward.”

What’s working

Very little. The Commanders have looked nothing like the team they thought would build off the success of 2024. About the best that can be said about the offense is that it has been relatively effective most weeks, despite missing Daniels, his three best receivers and top running back Austin Ekeler for varying amounts of time to injuries. Special teams also have been fine. But the defense can’t stop anyone at the moment.

What needs help

The defense. This is not a new issue. And it doesn’t appear, at least for the moment, to be fixable. Hard to know where the biggest blame lies, but there seem to be problems with the roster and the coaching. The group played well in the three victories, one of which came against a terrible opponent ( Las Vegas Raiders ), another of which came against a now-benched quarterback (Russell Wilson and the New York Giants ) and the other of which came against a team missing both starting offensive tackles ( Los Angeles Chargers ). In its four defeats, Washington’s defense has allowed an average of 32.5 points.

Stock up

Payne. He became the first NFL defensive lineman with three or more passes defended in a game’s opening half since 2012, and he combined with Jacob Martin to record a first-quarter safety. That was Washington’s first safety since Payne got one against Philadelphia in 2022.

Stock down

Marshon Lattimore. On the second play of Sunday’s game, Lattimore got bowled over by Dallas running back Lavonte Williams on a 9-yard run. On the third play, Lattimore got beaten on a 13-yard completion from Dak Prescott to CeeDee Lamb. On the fifth, Lattimore was flagged for pass interference on George Pickens, resulting in a 37-yard gain that gave the Cowboys first-and-goal at the 2. Williams scored on the next play. That was just the start of the latest poor performance by Lattimore. Later, he and safety Quan Martin collided, making things easy for Lamb on a 74-yard TD pass. Lattimore also was beaten on a 44-yard completion to Pickens that set up another score just before halftime to put Dallas ahead 27-15.

Injuries

DE Dorance Armstrong is done for the season after leaving Sunday’s game with a knee injury, according to Quinn. He’ll be the third defensive end to go on injured reserve for Washington, joining Deatrich Wise Jr. and Javontae Jean-Baptiste. … Terry McLaurin’s lingering quadriceps injury and Deebo Samuel’s heel problem are concerning. McLaurin has missed four games in a row; Samuel’s absence Sunday was his first this season. A third starting wideout, Noah Brown, went on IR last week.

Key stat

Zero — That’s how many takeaways Washington had against Dallas. The Commanders have forced a total of three turnovers this season; only the New York Jets, who are 0-7, have fewer (1).

Next steps

After facing the Chiefs in Week 8, the Commanders go up against the Seahawks and then the Lions, three teams that rank in the NFL’s top seven in scoring average.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl