The case for Jayden Daniels to play on Sunday against the Chicago Bears is compelling. Washington Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn claimed that the decision on Daniels will be impacted by how things go in the 48 hours leading up to kickoff, but his official game status is questionable. In the same press conference, Jayden Daniels said he feels good enough to play against the Chicago Bears, but the decision is out of his hands.
Chicago Bears Expect Daniels
There is a certain degree of luxury for NFL teams that comes along with players being minorly injured. It’s 100% within the framework of NFL rules to indicate to the public that a player is questionable to play as long as he is on the injury report, even if internally the team knows that player will indeed be playing. It’s a form of crafty gamesmanship that NFL teams use against each other, but everyone knows it’s largely exploited and the Chicago Bears are ready for it. This is the case for Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders for their Sunday soiree with the Chicago Bears in Week 8, and there are several signs to prove it.
Daniels did not participate in any on-field practice on Wednesday or Thursday this week, but on Friday Daniels was back on the practice field for a limited session. Whether or not a player participates in their team’s final practice the week before their game is typically the biggest indicator of whether a player will play. Check box number one for Daniels. Box number two is the nature of the injury and whether or not a player risks further injury or structural damage to their body if they proceed to play, or if it is simply pain management. Check box number two. Daniels has a rib cartilage injury instead of a rib fracture, which means he could play.
Chicago Bears Want Challenge
Rib cartilage injuries can be more painful than fractures because more muscles are attached to the cartilage than to the bone, but there isn’t much risk of causing further damage if the player can and wants to play through the pain. Jayden Daniels is a tough man and has played through pain before with elbow injuries in college among several other bumps and bruises. What strategies could be employed to help Daniels manage the pain of this injury? Extra padding and bracing can be utilized, but the most effective means will likely be pain-killing injection(s) of Toradol and Cortisone.
The third box is whether or not the game is important enough to the team and the player to warrant the risk. This one is murky and likely why the Washington Commanders and Jayden Daniels want the next few days to think it over. The Chicago Bears will be fully prepared to see Daniels or backup Marcus Mariota in this possible NFC playoff preview. The Chicago Bears want to face the full challenge of defending Jayden Daniels and hope he can play pain-free, but there is an added risk of getting painkiller injections around the ribs.
The medical professional who administers the injection has almost zero margin for error. There is less flesh around the ribs than in other areas of the body, making it a smaller target for the medicine to be injected into. In addition, the lower tissue density around the ribs makes the medicine less effective and more apt to wear off quickly. The other risk is the potential to puncture a lung if the injection goes too deep or if the angle is off.
Final Thoughts
A somewhat recent example of a rib injection gone wrong is from 2020 when Los Angeles Chargers QB Tyrod Taylor had his lung punctured by a rib injection just before the second game of the season. This mishap forced Taylor to miss extended time paving the way for rookie QB Justin Herbert to make his first career start, en route to his Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Taylor was relegated to backup duties after he got healthy. Daniels wants to play, but will the Commanders’ coaching and medical staff deem it necessary that Daniels play against the Chicago Bears? Are they willing to accept the inherent risk involved?
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