The Washington Commanders' honeymoon phase for the 2025-26 season is officially over. The team that shocked the NFL world by reaching the NFC Championship Game with a rookie quarterback came crashing back down to Earth after getting stomped by the Green Bay Packers 27-18 on Thursday Night Football.
The score line may not indicate domination but the Commanders had only 3 points after three quarters while the Packers could practically do no wrong at home. Washington still has not won a game at Lambeau Field since 1988.
To make things worse, the Commanders lost starting running back Austin Ekeler to an Achilles injury late in the game. He will get more imaging done on Friday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, but it's likely he'll miss the rest of the season.
Austin Ekeler 100% popped his achilles#WASvsGB pic.twitter.com/dxa5Z5j0Ag
— Benchwarmer Sports (@bdubsports_) September 12, 2025
Austin Ekeler injury makes Brian Robinson Jr. trade look like poor business
The Commanders had to turn to Daniels and rookie RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt for its rushing game but that didn't turn out as effective as they had hoped. Croskey-Merritt only had 17 yards on four carries while Daniels totaled the same on three more rushes than him.
Daniels was under pressure and having to scramble all night thanks to Green Bay's enhanced pass rush featuring the newly acquired Micah Parsons. Going forward, Washington may have to adjust its running game to feature more designed QB runs.
That opens Daniels up to more risky hits and potentially his own injury. He suffered a fractured rib against the Dallas Cowboys for that very reason. But, boy, does Washington probably wish it hadn't traded Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers just before the season started.
The 26 year old had nearly 800 rushing yards and eight touchdowns last season. He would've been a huge asset to fall back on now with Ekeler gone but, who knows, perhaps Croskey-Merritt will make the most of this opportunity now that he'll presumably get starting-caliber touches.