The Washington Commanders are again living a nightmare.
It took just two games for franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels to go down with another significant injury. He dislocated his elbow when he tried to brace himself while stumbling during Sunday's 37-20 loss at Dallas. The same injury occurred last November and kept Daniels out a month before he tried to play again and aggravated it.
On Monday, coach Dan Quinn announced that Marcus Mariota will start at quarterback this weekend against Seattle. He also ominously said Daniels will see specialists later this week. The injury is to the third-year quarterback's non-throwing arm, but it does nobody any good if Daniels is risking a gruesome dislocation any time he tries to use it to stay upright.
So now Washington has started 0-2, faces the defending Super Bowl champions this week and might be without its star quarterback for a while. The season is teetering before the Commanders even play their home opener Sunday.
“Not where we wanted to be, that’s for sure. But we also are resolute that that’s not where we’re going to be staying. And we had our chances in both games and both moments to not be in that spot,” Quinn said. “So, I would say, certainly hurting for Jay and some of the other guys who were banged up, but also there’s a lot of resolve with this group of knowing that, ‘Hey, man, like, these are the things we have to get done together and we have enough in the room.’”
Washington had areas of concern entering this season even with Daniels healthy. Now the Commanders turn to Mariota, who has had some good moments as a backup but now has to try and keep the offense moving behind a poor offensive line.
Meanwhile, the fluky nature of this injury — Daniels was falling because he took a snap under center and his foot was stepped on by an offensive lineman — has to have Washington fans beside themselves. They already saw Robert Griffin III have a great rookie season, then struggle to stay healthy. Now Daniels has been unable to build on his incredible 2024 season, battling injuries ever since.
“The freak ones like this, it’s hard to explain, honestly, as it’s going,” Quinn said. “I loved everything about the first half, how he was playing and what we did. So, I haven’t gone there to think about it, but obviously, total surprise to see it.”
Stefon Diggs continues to look solid in his first season in Washington. He had two touchdown catches against the Cowboys.
Washington will have to adjust its offense with a new quarterback. Mariota has some mobility but isn't the dynamic pass/run threat Daniels is.
“I think the biggest thing is, all right, what do you want to feature with Marcus that you didn’t with Jayden?” Quinn said. “It won’t be exactly the same, but fortunately, they’ll have a lot of similarities.”
Rachaad White had 43 yards on seven carries and six catches for 40 yards against Dallas.
The defense showed some positive signs in a Week 1 loss to Philadelphia, but the Cowboys scored on seven of their eight possessions against Washington.
Quinn said S Nick Cross was evaluated after the game with “an internal injury” and was flying back Monday after staying overnight in Texas.
“I won’t get into specifics,” Quinn said. “I was glad he was discharged and on the way back here.”
OL Brandon Coleman had a finger injury and is expected to practice this week. DT Javon Kinlaw (shoulder) will be limited, and G Sam Cosmi is in the concussion protocol, adding to the offensive line's problems.
The Commanders went 3-7 without Daniels last season.
Washington hosts Seattle, which beat the Commanders 38-14 last year.
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Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is carted off the field after an apparent injury in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) reacts after an apparent injury in the first half against the Dallas Cowboys during an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
MEDINAH, Ill. (AP) — The Americans broke into three groups on a light day of practice Monday at Medinah, all of them looking comfortable and trading occasional barbs. The Presidents Cup always seems to feel like a happy occasion, and for good reason: They almost never lose.
There was that one loss in Australia when the matches were so late in the year that the U.S. players spent most of their time online shopping for the holidays until they realized they were in a hole so deep there was no way out except to suffer a big loss.
That was 26 years ago. Three of the 24 players in this Presidents Cup weren't even born the last time — the only time — the Internationals won.
Should anyone expect Medinah to be different?
“It's the elephant in the room you have to address,” U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker said. “Just because these last teams have been successful doesn't mean we're going to be successful. We have to reset the bar for our team, tell them we have a standard to play to and we're 0-0. These 12 guys have accomplished nothing. We're going to hammer that into them.”
Each edition of the Presidents Cup brings new hope for the Internationals, a team that draws players from every continent except Europe. The depth favors the Americans, with all but two of their players inside the top 25 in the world ranking.
The exceptions are Patrick Cantlay (No. 28), who has proven to be their best clutch player in these team competitions; and Jackson Koivun, the 21-year-old who three months ago was helping Auburn to another NCAA title.
Koivun, the No. 1 amateur in the world, won in his third start on the PGA Tour as a pro and Snedeker found him too compelling to pass up. Koivun becomes the first player since Jordan Spieth in 2013 to start a year without a PGA Tour card and end it with the Presidents Cup.
The thinking was similar to when Europe chose Ludvig Aberg, who went from college to the Ryder Cup without ever having played in a major. Europe figured he would be part of every team for years to come and it was good to give him a taste.
Snedeker bristled at the idea that the Presidents Cup would be a good experience for Koivun for the Ryder Cup in 2027 and beyond.
“Our job as captain and vice captains for the Presidents Cup it put the best 12 players on the field,” Snedeker said. “To sit there and think this is a training session is laughable. I've worked 14 months for this opportunity. I'm not going to put somebody in a situation that's not going to help our team win. I feel he gives us a better chance to win.”
The highest-ranked player for Geoff Ogilvy's team is Si Woo Kim, who rose to No. 14 in the world by becoming the first player to earn $10 million in a PGA Tour season without winning. Among the four rookies on his team is 39-year-old Ryan Fox, the New Zealander who showed his mettle when he won the British Open with a birdie on the last hole.
And then there's Adam Scott, who ties a Presidents Cup record held by Phil Mickelson by playing for the 12th time. The Australian has yet to be on the winning side. His debut in 2003 was in South Africa when it ended in a tie.
“I've been given another chance. It might be the last one,” the 46-year-old Scott said. “I'm more excited this year than previously.”
The biggest hurdle for Ogilvy, the 2006 U.S. Open champion, and his International team is history. It came down to the final match in South Korea in 2015, and in Virginia in 2005. Far too often it has been an American runaway.
“Clearly winning something for the first time — the first time in a very long time — it's probably more difficult than if you're winning all the time,” Ogilvy said. “But we're getting closer all the time.”
Perhaps one advantage for the Internationals is playing at Medinah. They have never won on American soil, but it was Ogilvy's design company (OCM) that was chosen to renovate the course.
Nine players this week were at Medinah for the 2019 BMW Championship. Snedeker and three of his assistants were at the 2012 Ryder Cup. But this is an entirely different Medinah, and no one knows it better than the guy who designed it.
“We have an advantage right now,” Ogilvy said two weeks ago when he announced his captain's picks. "By the time we get to Thursday morning, I think the advantage will be gone. Professional golfers are very good at learning a golf course.
“Hopefully there will be a little advantage. The boys will get a little shot of confidence because their captain built the course,” he said. “It could be more psychological than real. But we'll see.”
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USA teams' Justin Thomas practices prior to the start of the Presidents Cup golf tournament against the International team at Medinah Country Club, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
A Presidents Cup logo lines the practice green prior to the golf tournament between the International and USA teams, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
The Medinah Country Club is shown prior to the start of the Presidents Cup golf tournament between the International and USA teams, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
USA teams' Scottie Scheffler practices on the firth hole prior to the start of the Presidents Cup golf tournament against the International team at Medinah Country Club, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
USA teams' Scottie Scheffler practices on the fifth hole prior to the start of the Presidents Cup golf tournament against the International team at Medinah Country Club, Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, in Medinah, Ill. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
