It was a rough day for Washington Commanders fans. First, they had to sit through a tough 44-22 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Then things went from bad to worse when Jayden Daniels went down with an injury. Soon after, fans on X started drawing comparisons between Daniels and former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III. But Daniels’ mother, Regina Jackson, was not happy with it.

So, what exactly did Regina say?

“I wish you would stop manifesting RGIII on my son. Words are powerful, and that’s all that’s talked about🙏🏽🙏🏽,” she wrote on X. The post quickly went viral, and before long, RG3 himself stepped into the conversation.

“I have always supported Jayden Daniels and want nothing but the best for him. Being QB1 in Washington DC, comes with an intense spotlight that I know well. You love your son, and the real fans do to. I want a long, healthy career for him. He will always have my support. 🙏🏾,” he wrote on X.

Fans can’t help but see the parallels between Jayden Daniels and Robert Griffin III, especially in the wake of the former’s injury. Both burst onto the scene as dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks, won the Heisman Trophy in college, and went second overall to Washington. Their builds and play styles are eerily alike, too.

Daniels even topped Griffin’s long-standing record for the most rushing yards by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, and, like Griffin, earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Griffin’s promising career, however, was cut short by repeated injuries to his knee, shoulder, and ankle, leaving him with just 56 games over eight seasons before moving into an analyst role at Fox Sports. Now, Daniels avoided major issues during his first year, but this season has been different.

After missing two games with a knee sprain early on, he’s now battling a hamstring problem. Whether he’ll be sidelined for long is still uncertain, but one thing is clear. Washington can’t afford to lose him, not when they’re still trying to steady a shaky season.

After that knee sprain, too, Griffin had spoken about Daniels’ injury. “The Washington Commanders are doing the right thing with Jayden Daniels by not playing him with a knee injury. Don’t play with his long term future for short term gain. All players want to play, but it is the organizations job to protect the players future. Bravo,” he tweeted.

He’s likely thinking back to how Washington handled his own situation more than a decade ago. Late in the 2012 regular season, Griffin suffered a knee injury that changed the course of his career. Things got worse in the NFC Divisional Round when he tore his ACL. That offseason, the team pushed the “All In for Week 1” campaign, rushing to get him back on the field.

In the years that followed, Griffin pointed fingers at then–head coach Mike Shanahan and members of the staff for how the injury was managed — a rift that eventually led to Shanahan’s firing, along with assistants Kyle Shanahan, Matt LaFleur, and Mike McDaniel. It’s no surprise Griffin doesn’t want to see Jayden Daniels’ story take a similar turn in this way as well.

Jayden Daniels injury updates

Early in the third quarter, Jayden Daniels went down after getting sacked by Cowboys linebacker Shemar James. The crowd went silent as the 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year limped toward the sideline. He made a quick stop at the medical tent before heading straight to the locker room. Now we have some updates.

Senior NFL reporter Mike Florio shared a positive update. “I’m told, at least for now, the early indications are nothing serious, but this is something we will surely be monitoring,” Florio said. He also added, “It’s Marcus Mariota as the replacement for Daniels, if Daniels can’t go.” That at least gives the team some breathing room heading into next week.

Still, not everyone shares the same optimism. Former NFL team doctor and SiriusXM and Fox Sports Radio injury expert David Chao took a more cautious approach. He believes Daniels’ hamstring issue might be a bit more serious than the early reports suggest. According to him, the Commanders could be without their QB1 for at least a game, if not more.

“… I think he’s going to unfortunately miss some time. Is it going to be IR? I certainly hope not. … As we say, there’s really no such thing as a one-week hamstring strain. Look at Lamar Jackson; if you’re going to be out, you’re going to be out.”

For now, all eyes are on the MRI results. Hopefully, Jayden Daniels avoids the long injury road that haunted RG3 years ago.