Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin made his much-anticipated return to action in Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs after missing the previous four games with a quad injury. Head coach Dan Quinn had expressed optimism about the receiver’s impact, noting that his return will add a lot to the team in different ways. But, much to the chagrin of Quinn, the return turned out to be short-lived. 

McLaurin left the contest in the fourth quarter after seemingly re-aggravating the same quad injury. Sports Medicine Physician of the NFL, Jesse Morse, MD, shared his concern regarding the nature of the injury.

“Reinjury to his quad strain, which is one of the biggest concerns in attempting to return from them. Sometimes they get lucky and it’s nothing. Sometimes it’s bad to the point where they need to be placed on IR or, rarely, season-ending. Let’s hope it’s nothing.”

After the injury, Terry McLaurin was actually spotted on the sideline with his helmet, but did not re-enter the game and was labeled as questionable. But this was done because Dan Quinn didn’t want to risk any further damage. Quinn and the organization understand that pushing a soft-tissue injury like a quad strain carries a high risk of a more severe reinjury, which could potentially sideline the player for the rest of the season. This caused even more panic amongst the Commanders’ fans.

After the 28-7 loss to the Chiefs, McLaurin addressed the press during his post-game press conference and said, He said he was feeling O.K. and that he’s taking the recovery ‘day-by-day,” as his quad is a little sore. He also added that he shall see how the week goes and go from there when it comes to his status of playing in Week 9.

Dan Quinn openly speaks about the missed opportunities for their loss

Even though Terry McLaurin was sidelined because of an injury but he did show why he is deemed as one of the best players of the Commanders team. Before exiting the game against the Chiefs, McLaurin provided the team’s two most pivotal offensive plays, one was an improbable 11-yard touchdown catch to level the score at 7-7 in the first half, followed by a brilliant sideline grab for a first down. The touchdown was McLaurin’s first of the season and ultimately proved to be Washington’s only score against the Chiefs. He finished the contest with 3 receptions for 56 yards.

Dan Quinn, too, felt the team’s “energy, the juice, the speed” early in the game. However, he expressed frustration over the number of times the team failed to utilise the scoring chances, accompanied by mounting injuries, which ultimately led the Commanders to their defeat.

Speaking of it during the post-game press conference, he said, “You cannot leave that many chances out there and expect to win, especially against this team. I liked the intensity of the first half. I just thought the opportunities for us to make our mark, we didn’t nail those.” 

The absence of key players due to injury, namely McLaurin (quad) and quarterback Jayden Daniels (hamstring), was certainly a factor in the team’s struggles. Should these star players be able to return soon, the Commanders could potentially turn their season around. 

However, with McLaurin and Daniels’ statuses for the upcoming Week 9 game against the Seattle Seahawks remaining highly questionable, the team may need to rapidly develop alternative strategies to improve their gameplay and secure a crucial victory.