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RB commanders taken to hospital
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RB commanders taken to hospital

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It wasn’t a great day to be a Commandant running back.

First it was Brian Robinson Jr. who retired early in the match with an ankle injury, but later returned. Then it was Austin Ekeler, who appeared to be out at the end of a wild 60 minutes.

The Week 12 game against the Cowboys featured leadership changes, special teams chaos and near magic for the Commanders. While the comeback attempt fell short, dropping Washington to 7-4 on the season, the concern now shifts to Ekeler.

Here’s the latest on the Commanders’ veteran running back.

LANDOVER, Md. – Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler was taken to the hospital after suffering a concussion late in Sunday’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys “out of an abundance of caution,” a team spokesman said.

Ekeler suffered the injury on the final kick return of the afternoon with the Commanders trailing by eight points with less than 10 seconds left on the clock. A pair of Cowboys pinned him on the tackle and the 29-year-old’s helmet hit the ground with force. He lay on the floor for a few minutes. Players from both teams took a knee as Washington’s training staff tended to him.

Ekeler walked off the field and to the locker room, but with significant help from the coaches.

Ekeler rushed for 22 yards on 9 carries against Dallas and caught two passes for two yards.

The eight-year veteran is in his first season with the Commanders and spent the first seven with the Los Angeles Chargers. He has four rushing touchdowns this season and entered Sunday with 667 combined rushing and receiving yards.

Commanders RB depth chart

If Ekeler misses time, Washington will be down to two running backs. Robinson Jr. would remain the starting defenseman, but McNichols would likely see more work.

Contributions: Chris Bumbaca