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Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t believe how many upsets and near upsets there were yesterday.
In today’s SI:AM:
😞 Bears lose Williams
💪 Daniels hurts elbow again
🟠 Big upset for Browns
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Trouble for the Commanders and Bears
The NFL season is a war of attrition, and after Week 2, two teams are already without their starting quarterbacks.
Bears signal-caller Caleb Williams and Commanders QB Jayden Daniels were both carted off the field yesterday. It’s a hamstring injury for Williams, while Daniels dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow.
Daniels’s injury appears to be the more significant of the two. He was injured on the final play of the first half in Washington’s loss to the Cowboys when he used his left hand to brace himself as he stumbled behind the line of scrimmage. His arm bent awkwardly and replays showed the bone protruding unnaturally beneath the skin. He started to go toward the sideline under his own power but fell to his knees and was eventually carted off.
Washington coach Dan Quinn confirmed that Daniels had dislocated the elbow but said X-rays were negative. Daniels will undergo additional testing today.
Daniels had a very similar injury in Week 9 last season. In that case, too, he dislocated his left elbow after using it to brace himself. The difference was that the first injury occurred when he was thrown to the ground by a defender.
Daniels returned after missing four weeks, but he re-injured the elbow while attempting to make a tackle following an interception and missed the final four games. It marked the end of an injury-filled second season for Daniels, who had missed time earlier in the year with knee and hamstring issues. He started only seven games, and Washington went 2–5 with him under center. The Commanders had been one of the NFL’s most pleasant surprises in 2024 when they went 12–5 and Daniels won Offensive Rookie of the Year, but now they’re staring down another extended absence for their franchise quarterback.
A significant injury for Williams would have a bigger impact on the NFC playoff picture, but it appears the Bears may have reason for optimism.
Williams was carted off midway through the fourth quarter of yesterday’s loss to the Vikings with what was later diagnosed as a hamstring injury. Williams was in tears as the cart headed toward the locker room, but the injury might not be as severe as his reaction would indicate. “There’s currently optimism that it’s not serious,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported. Florio said “the hope” is that it’s a Grade 1 hamstring strain, the least severe diagnosis. Williams will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.
Williams was brilliant in Week 1 as Chicago hung 59 points on the Panthers, but the offense took a major step backward against Minnesota. The Bears managed just a first-half field goal as they lost 9–3.
The timing of Williams’s injury is tough for the Bears. It comes as they’re set to take on the Eagles next Monday in a showdown of NFC contenders. Now, they may have to face Philadelphia with Tyson Bagent piloting the offense.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- Albert Breer: How the Browns Have Weathered the Deshaun Watson Storm—For Now
- Matt Verderame: Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce Are Back and So Are the Chiefs
- Conor Orr: How the Bears Can Survive Without Quarterback Caleb Williams
- Gilberto Manzano: Week 2 NFL Lessons: Klint Kubiak Has the Raiders Thinking About the Postseason
- Matt Verderame:NFL Week 2 Good, Bad and Ugly: Bryce Young Is Finally Playing Like a No. 1 Pick
- Pat Forde: Forde-Yard Dash: 10 College Football Teams Whose Flaws Are Impossible to Hide
- Bryan Fischer:College Football Playoff and Bowl Projections After Week 3: North Carolina Is in the Postseason Mix
- Karl Rasmussen:Top MLB Games, Storylines That Matter in the Regular Season’s Final Week
The top five…
… things I saw yesterday:
5. Enzo Fernández’s outstanding free kick goal from a tight ange in Manchester City’s win over Sunderland.
4. Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss’s big hit on Aaron Rodgers’s blind side to force a fumble.
3. Jonathan Taylor’s patience on this touchdown run. I love how he waited for the blocks to develop, then turned on the jets to reach the end zone.
2. Jalen Hurts’s late touchdown pass to avoid an upset against the Titans.
1. Ja’Marr Chase’s toe-tap touchdown.
📺 What we’re watching today …
NFL
Giants at Rams, 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC, ESPN
Aaron Donald will return to the field for the Rams after two years away from the game.
WNBA
Dream at Liberty, 8 p.m. ET, Peacock
Atlanta’s Angel Reese and New York’s Breanna Stewart will face off in a matchup between two teams looking to build momentum heading into the postseason.
Wings at Mercury, 10 p.m. ET, USA Network
Paige Bueckers and the Wings enter the night in eighth place, just one game out of fifth in a crowded playoff race.
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DAN GARTLAND
Dan Gartland writes Sports Illustrated’s flagship daily newsletter, SI:AM, and is the host of the “Stadium Wonders” video series. He joined the SI staff in 2014, having previously been published on Deadspin and Slate. Gartland, a graduate of Fordham University, is a former Sports Jeopardy! champion (Season 1, Episode 5).
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