Commanders fans ride emotional journey to London
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Jayden Daniels made it to London after all.
- The Commanders quarterback practiced Wednesday with a brace on his left arm, and coach Dan Quinn said the team will decide Friday whether he can play Sunday against the Colts.
Why it matters: That's welcome news for a group of Commanders fans whose feelings about crossing the Atlantic have taken quite the journey.
How we got here: Ever make plans with friends, then get less and less excited as the day approaches?
- You wonder whether it'll really be that fun. And now the coolest friend in the group might not be coming because he's not feeling well …
- That's roughly where some London-bound Commanders fans found themselves last week.
State of play: I asked 13 fans last week to rate how excited they were when they booked their trips.
- Pretty much everyone said 10 out of 10 (the lowest was a 9).
- Then I asked them how excited they were after Daniels got injured and the Commanders fell to 0-2.
The average: 6.5.
- Only one fan stayed at 10.
- Beth Cotell dropped all the way to 2.
Sorry, Beth: Cotell, a fan since 1983 who co-owns a pet-sitting business in Herndon, had long hoped to watch the Commanders in London but couldn't justify the airfare.
- Then, two Saturdays ago, she found a direct Dulles-to-Heathrow flight for just over $1,000 round-trip — about half what she'd previously seen.
- She snapped it up, then bought a ticket at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for 79 pounds (about $105).
The next day, Daniels dislocated his elbow.
- Cotell thought: "Ohhh. I guess I'm still going to London."
There's history here: Cotell spent good money traveling to Commanders games in Green Bay, Kansas City and Madrid last year.
- Daniels sprained his knee during the Green Bay game and missed the other two.
- Washington lost all three.
Jeremy Werblowsky, who lives in Israel, says it's "inevitable" he'll go whenever the Commanders play overseas.
- After booking $400 flights to London for himself and his two sons, he spent the preseason with one plea: "Don't get hurt in the first three games."
- Daniels' injury was a "big bummer," Werblowsky said. The 52-year-old, who grew up in Silver Spring, dropped his excitement from a 10 to 7.
Keep calm: These fans are going to London either way. They've got Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and high tea on their itineraries.
- A large group has coordinated a Thames River tour together.
Plot twist: On Sunday, the Commanders beat the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks behind backup quarterback Marcus Mariota — breathing life into the season.
- I texted Cotell that evening and asked for an updated excitement rating.
- This time, I didn't get a number. I got a GIF.
And now positive news on Daniels …
- We might get Beth all the way back to 10.