Dan Campbell Refuses to Blame Anyone for Jayden Daniels’ Injury Ahead of Lions-Commanders Matchup

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell doesn’t believe there’s much blame to go around for the gruesome injury that Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered last week.

Daniels was playing late in a blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks when he landed awkwardly while being tackled and hyperextended his elbow. The injury will keep Daniels out for several weeks, starting with this week’s game against the Lions.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the game, Campbell said he doesn’t believe that Commanders head coach Dan Quinn needs to shoulder the blame.

Dan Campbell Speaks Out

Quinn took responsibility for the injury to Daniels, saying the team’s star quarterback should have been out of the game when he was hurt late in the fourth quarter. While Campbell agreed it was an unfortunate injury, he didn’t believe that anyone was to blame.

“I know hindsight, all this and that, but yeah, I do feel for him,” Campbell said, via The Associated Press. “But I don’t feel like he should have to feel that way.”

With Daniels landing on injured reserve, the Commanders are starting veteran Marcus Mariota against the Lions this weekend. Though the Commanders have struggled while dropping to 3-6 this season, Mariota said he believes in his team and knows they can bounce back.

“And it starts up top with DQ [Head Coach Dan Quinn],” Mariota said, via the team’s official website. “He sets the mood every day, guys follow that and I do believe that. And again, it’s not going to all happen at once.”

The Commanders are entering a difficult stretch that includes games against the Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles, but it starts with the Lions on Sunday. Mariota said the team can only focus on the game ahead of them, saying they need to do some course correcting against the Lions.

“We understand that being out here, taking it one day at a time, getting things corrected, getting things organized, making sure everyone’s on the same page so that when we do get to Sunday, guys are feeling confident and ready to go,” he said.

Lions Looking to Bounce Back

The Lions are coming off a loss to the Vikings and are looking to avoid their first two-game losing streak since the 2022 season. Lions quarterback Jared Goff said he’s confident in his team’s ability to bounce back, as they did after a season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Lions responded with four straight wins, then recovered from a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs by beating the NFC-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“It’s all kind of who we are and what we’re built for,” Goff said. “Now again, this is another team that’s coming off a loss and they probably pride themselves in being built that way as well, so we’ve got our hands full.”

The Lions had a chance to jump back to the top of the NFC North last week, but remain a half-game behind the Packers after their loss to the Vikings.

Saints Set Tyler Shough Up to Fail: Offensive Line Neglect Is Coaching Malpractice

Can Tyler Shough stay healthy for a full season?

Tyler Shough has been criticized for his inability to stay healthy during his collegiate career. This issue persists as he nearly got hurt in his first start, and the New Orleans Saints offensive line must protect Shough in order for him to start for the remainder of the season.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell reported that Shough couldn’t close his jaw properly until Tuesday because of a hit he suffered against the Los Angeles Rams. He is fully healthy heading into week 10 but this still creates concerns about his durability. His talent doesn’t matter if he’s not on the field.

Just because there are concerns doesn’t mean he should be labeled as injury-prone. He’s missed tons of time with injury but none are persistent issues, such as a hamstring for a wide receiver. He broke his collarbone twice and his fibula once in college. These aren’t likely to happen again.

The Saints offensive line needs to improve

The offensive line is a major concern for the Saints. The tackles are young, but great. Taliese Fuaga and Kelvin Banks both have room to improve but are capable of protecting Shough. The worries are more on the interior.

This group fell apart after Erik McCoy suffered a season ending injury. In addition, starting left guard Trevor Penning was traded on Tuesday. This leaves Cesar Ruiz as the singular week one starter remaining, who has been criticized for his play when McCoy is injured. Luke Fortner and Dillon Radunz will both have to step up.

The easiest way to get pressure against New Orleans is right up the middle, and it's the most impactful versus any offense. This is what made players like Aaron Donald so dangerous. Shough has consistently struggled against pressure in his career, so having a faltering interior is not a recipe for his future success or health. The offensive line needs to improve in a hurry for Shough to have any impact in his rookie season.

Tyler Shough already had an injury scare in his first career start. Questions about his durability are already being brought up. The offensive line needs to silence these questions and protect their rookie quarterback. It will be the difference between him having a successful, or an injury-riddled first season.

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