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Acceptable reactions to Jayden Daniels dislocating his left elbow during the Washington Commanders' loss Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys:

At least the Mystics are in the playoffs …

Why it matters: The Commanders are 0-2 and have the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on deck. But right now, the standings feel secondary.

The big picture: Daniels' injuries are piling up. Following a rookie season that convinced Washington it finally had a franchise quarterback, injuries derailed his sophomore year. A recap of 2025:

Week 9: Dislocated left elbow, missed three.

Week 14: Aggravated the elbow injury in his return and was shut down for the season.

The latest: Daniels is undergoing more testing Monday. Coach Dan Quinn said there's no fracture and is scheduled to speak with reporters again at 3pm.

Between the lines: This region already has RG3 PTSD. The parallels with Robert Griffin III, Washington's last great hope in 2012, are hard to ignore:

Reality check: It's premature to say Daniels is headed down the same path. But durability questions followed Daniels into the league. 

Some analysts wondered before the draft whether his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame could withstand NFL violence — particularly given how much of his brilliance comes from running.

Flashback: When Daniels dislocated his elbow last year, Quinn took the blame. The game was out of hand, and Daniels was still running the ball trying to score.

On one hand: It was a fluke. An offensive lineman stepped on Daniels' foot and the QB awkwardly braced himself. Could have happened any time.

On the other: Maybe Washington should have settled for a field goal. It was the final play of the half, and the Commanders came away with nothing but an injured QB.

What they're saying: "I wasn't hesitant about going into that spot," Quinn said Sunday. "I thought we were going to be aggressive into this game against their offense, so I don't regret that."

The bottom line: Blaming Quinn misses the bigger problem: How do the Commanders keep Daniels healthy without limiting him?

Jayden Daniels is hurt again, and optimism is in short supply

Washington's franchise QB has dislocated the same elbow twice in less than a year.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels falls to the ground after being injured while his teammates stand over him.

As if losing to the Cowboys wasn't painful enough. Photo: Amanda McCoy/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Acceptable reactions to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jayden Daniels" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/04/26/jayden-daniels-washington-commanders" data-vars-content-id="1f3f2e25-b6ee-415d-9c83-f4555033ef34" data-vars-headline="Jayden Daniels is hurt again, and optimism is in short supply" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/04/26/jayden-daniels-washington-commanders" target="_self">Jayden Daniels</a> dislocating his left elbow during the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Washington Commanders" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/09/11/nfl-season-preview-daniels-commanders-bounce-back" data-vars-content-id="1f3f2e25-b6ee-415d-9c83-f4555033ef34" data-vars-headline="Jayden Daniels is hurt again, and optimism is in short supply" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/09/11/nfl-season-preview-daniels-commanders-bounce-back" target="_self">Washington Commanders</a>&#x27; loss Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys:<ul><li>Not again.</li><li>&quot;Oh s***.&quot; — Tom Brady, live on Fox.</li><li>At least the Mystics are in the playoffs …</li></ul>Why it matters: The Commanders are 0-2 and have the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on deck. But right now, the standings feel secondary.

Sports

This father of an almost-2-year-old girl wonders if it's time to change our TV from Ms. Rachel to Ms. Kiki and Ms. Trin.

Why it matters: The Mystics and Spirit might be Washington's only major pro teams to make the playoffs this year.

The big picture: The Capitals and Wizards missed. The Nats are rounding third on a seventh straight losing season.

The Commanders are 0-2 with their quarterback on the shelf. D.C. United is on the outside looking in.

The women are pulling most of the weight in the District. And in my household.

Driving the news: The Mystics and Spirit are teaming up this week for Capital Queens, a celebration of D.C. as the "Capital of Women's Sports."

They said it: "Washington, D.C., has always been the Capital of Women's Sports," Mystics chief business officer Alycen McAuley said.

Reality check: There's no clean way to rank women's sports cities, and Washington has plenty of competition.

Portland makes women's sports culture part of its identity (sip a Title IX cocktail at The Sports Bra).

Seattle and Minneapolis are home to four-time WNBA champions.

New York turns women's sports into a spectacle — from the Liberty to the U.S. Open.

Los Angeles has more star power on its college campuses than some cities do on pro rosters.

The Mystics are a WNBA institution and have led the league in attendance eight times.

The Spirit have reached four NWSL finals, winning in 2021, and employ the league's biggest star, Trinity Rodman.

University of Maryland's women's programs are perennially strong, Georgetown soccer is a power, and the DMV produces elite prep teams in lacrosse, field hockey and basketball.

Some of the world's fastest swimmers come from our backyard.

Plus: In 2027, a pro volleyball team will take Flight at the Anthem.

The fans show up, too: Washingtonians can fill an arena on the right night. A Mystics game at Capital One Arena in 2024 set a record, since broken, with 20,711 fans (Caitlin Clark helped).

This year, 17,228 packed the building for a women's hockey game — and D.C. doesn't even have a PWHL team.

Yes, but: The Mystics usually play at 4,200-seat CareFirst Arena, leaving them last in WNBA attendance this season.

What's ahead: Thursday offers a test. The Mystics' regular season finale will be their lone game this year at Capital One Arena. 

They're facing a Chicago Sky team without the kind of star power to juice attendance, so the draw is a young Mystics squad led by Shakira Austin, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen.

The bottom line: There's no objective way to crown America's women's sports capital.

But I want to raise a girl in a city celebrated for its women's sports. So plant a yard sign with me in support of D.C.

D.C.'s bid to be the capital of women's sports

The Mystics and Spirit might be Washington's only pro teams to reach the playoffs in 2026.

A profile photo of Trinity Rodman, facing a profile photo of Kiki Iriafen

Trinity Rodman and Kiki Iriafen. Photos: Amanda Loman/NWSL via Getty Images and Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images

This father of an almost-2-year-old girl wonders if it&#x27;s time to change our TV from Ms. Rachel to Ms. Kiki and Ms. Trin.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Mystics" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/14/mystics-icon-elena-delle-donne-enters-hall-of-fame" data-vars-content-id="a27d9d62-1138-415a-93a4-d0079477e253" data-vars-headline="D.C.&#x27;s bid to be the capital of women&#x27;s sports" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/14/mystics-icon-elena-delle-donne-enters-hall-of-fame" target="_self">Mystics</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Spirit" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/15/spain-in-d-c" data-vars-content-id="a27d9d62-1138-415a-93a4-d0079477e253" data-vars-headline="D.C.&#x27;s bid to be the capital of women&#x27;s sports" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/07/15/spain-in-d-c" target="_self">Spirit</a> might be Washington&#x27;s only major pro teams to make the playoffs this year.

Mark Selig

Featured stories

D.C.'s bid to be the capital of women's sports

Jayden Daniels is hurt again, and optimism is in short supply