Commanders Linebacker Leo Chenal Carted Off with Neck Injury
Linebacker Leo Chenal suffered a neck injury in the second quarter of the Commanders' Week 3 home opener against the Seahawks.
Washington Commanders linebacker Leo Chenal was carted off the field with a neck injury during the second quarter of the team's home opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. The incident occurred with 6:38 remaining in the half when Chenal went down during a tackle.
Chenal appeared to hit his head on the thigh pad of Seattle ball carrier Emmanuel Wilson during the play. Replays indicated Chenal lowered his head upon contact. Following the collision, medical personnel immediately attended to Chenal, and the cart was brought onto the field.
The entire Commanders team gathered on the sideline to surround Chenal as the stadium fell silent. As he was being carted off, fans chanted his name, and he was seen giving a fist pump as he neared the tunnel.
This injury represents a significant blow to the Commanders' defense. Chenal had stepped into a starting role after an injury to Frankie Luvu in Week 1. Prior to Sunday's game, Chenal recorded three tackles, including a goal-line stop, and was coming off a career-high 12 tackles in the previous week's matchup against the Cowboys.
The league has seen other prominent injuries in recent days. On Saturday, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field after a hit during a game against USC.