The season is slipping away for Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders

WASHINGTON (AP) — The losses and the injuries just keep mounting for the Washington Commanders, who are on a three-game losing streak as their season appears to be slipping away.

They are just 3-5 at roughly the halfway mark — already the same number of defeats they had while going 12-5 and making it all the way to the NFC championship game in January, carried there by the dynamic quarterback-wideout duo of AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels and 13-TD scorer Terry McLaurin.

This time around, Washington is missing the magic that helped produce all of those last-minute wins, first of all, and it hasn't helped that Daniels was sidelined for three games so far, including Monday night's 28-7 setback against the Kansas City Chiefs, and McLaurin has been forced to sit out four. There also are all sorts of other absences on offense, defense and special teams.

When the Commanders practice Wednesday, coach Dan Quinn said, “We plan on (Daniels) being a part of that.”

Washington simply has not played very well, with two victories coming against also-ran opponents in the New York Giants and Las Vegas Raiders. They've been something less than competitive for stretches, including their past two outings, in which they were outscored by an average of 21.5 points.

Against Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the rest of the Chiefs, the Commanders did manage to hang in there for a half, reaching the break tied at 7-all. Still, coach Dan Quinn was not pleased with missed chances by an offense being run by Marcus Mariota in place of a hurt Daniels, who was out with a bad right hamstring.

Everything fell apart in the second half.

“Man, did we leave a lot of opportunities out there tonight,” Quinn said. “You cannot leave that many chances out there and expect to win.”

Might not get any easier over the next two weeks, when Washington will face the Seattle Seahawks, then the Detroit Lions.

It seems as if a record of 3-7 could be a real possibility by the time Week 10 is done.

“You're kind of putting yourself in a hole,” linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “You don't want to dig yourself in a deeper hole.”

McLaurin's return Monday was a big deal after he was unavailable for a month because of a quadriceps injury. He scored his first touchdown of the season with a terrific toe-tapping grab. He made another “How did he do that?” catch on a head-first dive. “It felt good just to contribute,” McLaurin said. But as often has been the case for the Commanders, every step forward comes with a step back: McLaurin exited the game after aggravating his bad leg.

The offense is in a rut right now, so it would be good for Washington to get Daniels back: The team is 1-2 in the games he missed. Mariota threw two picks against KC, and the running game was barely there, gaining only 60 yards on 20 carries.

At least the defense finally produced some turnovers, intercepting Mahomes to end each of Kansas City's first two possessions — something that had never happened to him — with Wagner and the much-maligned Marshon Lattimore each getting one. Wagner had his first pick since Week 16 of the 2022 season, Lattimore his first since Week 1 of 2023. “It was good to get some takeaways,” Wagner said. The Commanders entered the night with three turnovers all season.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The rookie seventh-round pick, such a sensation earlier this season, gained 25 yards on nine carries Monday, a 2.8 average.

LT Laremy Tunsil left with a hamstring problem. ... McLaurin wasn't sure right after the game where things stood with his quad muscle — and Quinn didn't offer an update Monday. “It’s a little sore,” McLaurin said. "It’s hard to say what it is or what it isn't." ... Even PK Matt Gay had an injury issue Monday, sitting out the game because of his back. The player brought in to replace him against the Chiefs, Matthew Wright, was released Tuesday.

800 — Zach Ertz reached that number of career catches Monday, making him the sixth tight end in NFL history with at least that many. The others: Kelce, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Shannon Sharpe.

Nothing has come easily for Washington and the path might not be smooth for the next couple of weeks, hosting Seattle (5-2) on Nov. 2, and Detroit (5-2) on Nov. 9.

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