Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Austin Ekeler Injury Update – What Happened to Austin Ekeler vs the Packers?

Ekeler suffered a non-contact Achilles injury against the Green Bay Packers

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders’ game against the Green Bay Packers was a disaster. Not only did they lose to a much superior team, but also running back Austin Ekeler suffered a serious non-contact injury that forced him to leave the game in the fourth quarter.

Seeing as the Commanders traded Brian Robinson Jr. to the 49ers in the offseason, Washington needed to rely on Ekeler, with his backup being rookie seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt.

#Commanders starting RB Austin Ekeler, who was carted to the locker room with a non-contact injury, was ruled out with an Achilles injury. A potentially significant injury. pic.twitter.com/16QUWktFkF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 12, 2025

What Happened to Austin Ekeler vs Packers?

Austin Ekeler went down on a pass play during one of the Commanders’ drives late in the fourth quarter. With just over 5 minutes left in the game, the Commanders’ running back was open on a pass play, but even before the ball was out of quarterback Jayden Daniels’ hands, Ekeler went down to the ground on a non-contact injury.

Following the play, as Ekeler tried to stand up, he was unable to put any weight on his legs and kept falling down. In visible discomfort, trainers rushed to his aid as they checked on him and took him to the sidelines. The veteran back was later seen being carted off the field and taken to the locker rooms.

As the game progressed, it was reported by the announcers that Ekerler had been ruled out for the remainder of the game and that he had suffered an Achilles injury. Although the full extent of the injury is yet to be determined, it is nevertheless a big blow for the Commanders.

Prayers: Austin Ekeler non-contact injury.

It looks like a torn achilles 💔🙏pic.twitter.com/gAKZolfrDm
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 12, 2025

Austin Ekeler Injury History

As a veteran running back in this league, Ekeler has been on the receiving end of injuries on a few occasions. His first major injury occurred in October 2020 when he suffered a thigh hamstring strain that caused him to miss 6 games.

In September 2023, he missed 3 games following a grade 3 high ankle sprain at the start of the year, and in November 2024, he suffered a grade 1 concussion that forced him to miss 4 games.

Austin Ekeler stats against the Packers

Overall, the Commanders lacked any offensive production for the majority of the game. They were completely on the back foot in the first half, with only some urgency late in the game. As such, Ekeler was also limited in his production.

The 30-year-old came off the field following his injury after having contributed just 17 yards rushing from 8 carries for an average of 2.1 yards per carry. He also caught 2 passes totaling just 7 yards as the Packers’ defense wreaked havoc on the Commanders all night.

With this loss, Washington now falls to 1-1, but more importantly, the Commanders’ offense lacked any punch tonight, and the loss of Ekeler will be a big hole to fill. Ekeler lends versatility to the team with his dual-threat ability as a runner and pass-catcher. With him out, the Commanders’ offensive prowess is sure to take a hit in the upcoming weeks.

Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Austin Ekeler

Austin Ekeler injury update

NFL

Washington Commanders

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!