Washington Commanders right guard Sam Cosmi suffered a season-ending ACL tear in Saturday’s 45-31 road win over the Detroit Lions in the playoff divisional round, coach Dan Quinn announced Sunday.
“Unfortunately, some tough news on Sam,” Quinn said during a video call with reporters. “He’s been a significant part of what we’re doing, especially on the interior. That’s a big deal, the ball player and the man.”
The Commanders will play on the road next week in the NFC Championship against the winner of Sunday’s Los Angeles Rams-Philadelphia Eagles divisional round matchup.
Cosmi, 25, went down less than five minutes into the second quarter. As running back Brian Robinson scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns for a 10-3 lead, Cosmi was legally pushed into a Lion defender on the ground. However, the 309-pound Cosmi’s body bent awkwardly backward, leading to immediate concern.
Down for several minutes, Cosmi limped gingerly off the field with assistance from the training staff. Along with participating in last week’s wild-card round win at Tampa Bay, Cosmi played in all 17 regular-season games for the second consecutive season after missing 11 games with injuries his first two seasons.
IN FRONT 🎱
📺 #WASvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/jDIReLqvP6
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
The 2021 second-round selection has emerged as one of the top guards in the league and a key protector for rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels. Washington’s first-year regime, led by Quinn and general manager Adam Peters, showed its belief by signing Cosmi to a four-year, $74 million contract extension before the regular season. Cosmi finished the regular season with a 2.1 percent blown block rate, second-best on the Commanders and 21st in the league among all guards with at least 500 snaps, according to Sports Info Solutions. Cosmi allowed just one sack all season, according to TruMedia.
The investments along the offensive line have paid off, with Washington finishing with the ninth-best pass block win rate and second-best run block win rate, per ESPN. Only five other offensive lines finished top-ten in both categories this regular season. Daniels did not take a sack in the divisional round against a Detroit defense that finished fourth in the league in both quarterback pressures and quarterback knockdowns during the regular season.
Though a traditional tackle, Trent Scott replaced Cosmi at guard. The Commanders rotate their reserve linemen across the formation regularly in practice, so Sunday wasn’t the first time Scott lined up next to right tackle Andrew Wylie. Washington’s offense maintained its high production, compiling a season-high in points and 481 yards. The Commander allowed 50 sacks in the regular season, seventh-most in the league, but blanked Detroit.
Quinn said Scott “did a really good job” but the staff would consider the various options at guard depending on the next matchup. The Commanders lacked interior line depth all season but largely remained injury-free, missing only two games across three positions. Seldom-used guard Chris Paul and backup center Michael Deiter are the other likely candidates.
Cosmi, O-Line part of all-around win
All three phases helped the Commanders secure the organization’s first NFC Championship appearance since 1991.
Daniels delivered another impressive performance with 299 passing yards, two touchdown throws and 51 yards on the ground. After a several-week slump, the traditional run game led by Robinson produced 132 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries. Both were opened up by an exceptional performance by the offensive line, holding Detroit without a sack for just the fourth time all season while setting a new season high for rushing yards before contact against the Lions. Washington went 4-of-4 on red-zone chances and converted 3-of-4 fourth-down attempts.
The Commanders also won the turnover margin 5-0 with four interceptions, three by Detroit starting quarterback Jared Goff. Special teams coverage kept the Lions from starting any of their final 10 drives outside the 35-yard line on the short week of preparation.
“This was a really cool team win. That’s what playoff football is all about,” Quinn said. “This was one of those games where everybody in the building contributed on a short week. Getting the guys ready (by) the training and medical staff to go on the road to battle in a (loud) environment.” — Ben Standig, Commanders beat writer
Required reading
(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
