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Commanders’ RB Austin Ekeler likely to be ruled out for the season; See full injury update
Austin Ekeler, the 30-year-old running back, had four minutes left to play as the scoreboard reflected 27-10 down for the Commanders when he fell on the field.
The Washington Commanders lost more than just Thursday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, which ended in a 27-18 defeat. Veteran running back Austin Ekeler suffered a torn Achilles injury during the game and is expected to be ruled out for the rest of the season.
Austin Ekeler’s injury
The 30-year-old running back had four minutes left to play as the scoreboard reflected 27-10 down for the Commanders when he fell on the field with a no-contact injury to the back of his lower right leg, in an attempt to go up-field.
After several attempts to get up, the Commanders' crew helped cart him off the field and made him sit on the bench before ultimately taking him into the locker room and ruling him out for the rest of the game.
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“#Commanders starting RB Austin Ekeler, who was carted to the locker room with a non-contact injury, was ruled out with an Achilles injury. A potentially significant injury,” NFL insider Ian Rapoport posted on his social media handle.
This follows after the team already lost Deatrich Wise, another player on the defensive line, to the same game matchup. As per the latest reports, Ekeler is likely to be ruled out for the rest of the season given the severity of his injury.
Return and replacement
Due to the way the injury played out, things don’t seem to be looking up for the nine-time league player. “The belief is a torn Achilles for Austin Ekeler, " a source says. He’ll have an MRI, but there is not a lot of hope going into it,” Rapoport updated on his social media handle.
Apart from Ekeler, rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt played the game as a running back on Thursday. Due to Ekeler’s injury, he will likely see an uptick in reps offered to him going forward. Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. are also currently placed on the Commanders' depth chart and may likely replace Ekeler on the active roster, as reported by USA Today. Donovan Edwards is currently part of the team’s practice squad.
The Commanders are now scheduled to face the Las Vegas Raiders in their next season outing on Sunday (September 21).
- With inputs from Stuti Gupta
