Washington, as much as any team in the NFL, should know about the importance of a franchise quarterback.
And Washington, perhaps more than any team in the NFL, should know that as much as a quarterback is needed to lift a franchise, the franchise, in turn, needs to do its part in protecting him so he can keep lifting.
That should have been true even before Jayden Daniels was injured while playing late in a blowout loss on Sunday.
Back in 2012, Washington appeared to have a QB savior in Robert Griffin III, a dynamic Heisman winner who bested Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson to win NFL Rookie of the Year.
Then came the first quarter of a wild-card game against Seattle, when Griffin's right knee buckled. Rather than putting in backup Kirk Cousins, coach Mike Shanahan stuck with the clearly compromised Griffin.
It was a brutal watch. The offense sputtered to just 41 yards en route to a loss. Worse, Griffin didn't just look hurt, but immobilized to a degree that made him incapable of defending himself against further injury. It was a train wreck in progress. Griffin eventually crumbled after hyperextending his knee while reaching for a low snap.
Days later, he underwent surgery. He was never the same player again.
He accounted for 27 touchdowns before the injury; just 26 over the rest of his career.
Washington, meanwhile, didn't win a playoff game until a dozen years later. That's when another Heisman-winning, rookie sensation led the Commanders to last season's NFC Championship Game.
The circumstances, and hopefully the severity, of Daniels' elbow dislocation are different than RGIII's career-altering knee, of course. Different players, different coaching staffs, different types of injury (non-throwing arm for Daniels).
The same battle-hardened fans, though, saw another breathtaking talent go down in an avoidable heap as Washington trailed 34-7 with just 7:38 remaining.
"Why is he still in the game?" RGIII himself said in a social media video, echoing the cries that once rang out for him.
Why keep your starter in for the end of a blowout loss? Why, especially, when he was battling a hamstring injury that limited his mobility. If he had to be there, why not just a steady diet of hand-offs?
"I know many of you have been asking about the thought process of Jayden being in the game in that situation. I get that," Washington coach Dan Quinn said this week. "I've been thinking about it honestly nonstop too, and for me the answer is, man, I missed it."
Credit Quinn for owning the mistake; still, this was costly. The coach said Daniels would be out "a while," which is not ideal for a 3-6 team.
Yes, football is still football. It is a tough sport. A dangerous sport. There is no way to get around the fact that injuries, often significant ones, can occur at any time to anyone.
The ethos of being "hurt" but not "injured" is part of what makes the game special. There are no shortcuts. "Load management" isn't really a thing. Even back with RGIII, it was the player who kept claiming to coaches and doctors that he was fine, even if he wasn't.
Shanahan kept listening to his QB rather than his own lying eyes. It cost Washington everything.
Protecting your quarterback isn't about softening the standards of football. It's about valuing your players; a tough, if essential, concept in the ultimate team game. There is a reason NFL rules hardly allow two-hand touch on a QB.
RGIII argued that Daniels shouldn't have been playing at all, instead resting up that hamstring until he was "as close to 100 percent as possible."
Perhaps, especially considering that Washington has not built the offensive line to protect him. On the play in question, Daniels was scrambling for his life after what appeared to be a blown blocking assignment.
Daniels has been sacked 17 times in six games he has played this season. He has been "hit" 322 times across the last two -- most in the NFL.
Daniels is listed at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds. He isn't a tank like Josh Allen (6-5, 237), although Buffalo hardly wants him exposed to as much contact as Daniels has been. For Washington, Daniels is lost in a season that is now likely lost as well. All that's left is the hope that he can make a full recovery and Quinn & Co. reevaluate everything about how to manage their most important player.
"We will give him the support ... in every single way," Quinn promised. "It's calls, offense, defense, the whole way through. I absolutely feel that way. The hamstring injury and tonight with the elbow, it's really important that we get that part right. And we will."
The franchise which, after failing to protect their last young star quarterback, spent years searching for a new one, now needs to remind itself of a lesson that should have already been learned.
The phrase "franchise QB" has two parts to it, after all.