The Washington Commanders and NFL fans everywhere immediately feared the worst.
Austin Ekeler went down with a non-contact injury in the fourth quarter of Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.
It looked like the signature of an Achilles injury, and the Commanders announced within 10 minutes that it was indeed an Achilles injury that had taken Ekeler out of the game.
Ekeler was clearly in pain and knew it was bad.
MORE: This new Shedeur Sanders rumor misses the entire point of his Browns rookie season
He was helped off by trainers without putting any weight on his right foot or ankle area. He was eventually carted back to the locker room.
Ekeler is the veteran RB in the room for Washington.
He's been splitting time with Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the early going.
Washington also has Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. as the RBs on its roster after trading away Brian Robinson Jr. before the season.
MORE: Cowboys' Micah Parsons trade already looks like a generational mistake
If Ekeler is forced to miss extended time, JCM will probably get a ton of carries, while McNichols is the leading candidate to be the passing down back.
It was a bad night for the Commanders, who never stood a chance to beat the Packers and then had this injury late to one of their most experienced team leaders.
They'll have an extended break before playing again a week from Sunday, but Ekeler might be out much longer than that anyway.
MORE NFL NEWS:
- Kyle Hamilton nearly scored the first 1-point safety in NFL history
- Mike Evans hints at retirement before return to home state
- Michael McCorkle 'Mac' Jones is the 49ers' only hope
- The NFL is about to have a new all-time field goal percentage leader
- Keenan Allen's stellar return to the Chargers wasn't a fluke
- Jayden Daniels is NFL's first Japanese quarterback in nearly 100 years