https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders Commanders en-US Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:17:01 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders/commanders-terry-mclaurin-injury-season Martenzie Johnson The veteran wide receiver tore his patellar tendon Monday night against the 49ers. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 19:17:01 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders/commanders-terry-mclaurin-injury-season Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin will miss the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon, coach Dan Quinn said on Tuesday. The 31-year-old is expected to undergo surgery.

McLaurin was carted off the field in the first quarter of the team’s “Monday Night Football” game against the 49ers. He appeared to get his feet tangled with San Francisco corner Deommodore Lenoir on a third-down route. McLaurin reached for his left leg as he fell to the ground and stayed down for some time as trainers provided an air cast.

After the game, Quinn said the team feared McLaurin’s injury was “significant,” and an MRI later showed that McLaurin needed surgery.

The veteran wideout was in his second game back after sitting out Week 4 with a hamstring injury. He missed seven games last season with a quad strain after not missing a single contest between 2021 and 2024. He will finish his 2026 season with 15 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-49ers-loss-nfc-east Dave Sheinin Washington’s true identity seemed obvious during Monday night’s loss to the 49ers. Then the second half started. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 12:51:49 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-49ers-loss-nfc-east By halftime of Monday night’s game at Levi’s Stadium, the Washington Commanders, for whatever else they were lacking, at least had established an identity. After an embarrassing, noncompetitive first half against the San Francisco 49ers, on top of five earlier games’ worth of incriminating evidence, they were now 30 minutes of football away from their bye week, and they were pretty much cooked.

Their season looked to be a washout. Their embattled coach seemed destined to be fired. They were nearing blow-it-up-and-start-over territory. For Commanders fans, that wasn’t much comfort. But at least there was now a sense of clarity. You could turn off your television at halftime, spare yourself the agony of whatever humiliation the second half had in store, and sleep peacefully with the hope that heads might soon start rolling on Coach Gibbs Drive.

But now, after a furious second-half comeback that saw the Commanders — with an astonishing, out-of-nowhere mixture of might and fight — put themselves in position to win a seemingly unwinnable game twice in the final six minutes, even that sense of clarity is gone. What in heaven’s name is the Commanders’ identity now?

Nothing that happened in Monday night’s second half has materially changed the trajectory of their season. They still lost, 23-17. They’re still a one-win team through six weeks. Their franchise quarterback, Jayden Daniels, is still winless in his four starts in 2026. They still make too many critical, boneheaded mistakes to be taken seriously. Oh, and on top of everything else, it looks as if they will be without the soul of their locker room, veteran wideout Terry McLaurin, for a long while following his first-quarter knee injury.

There are no moral victories in the NFL, right? Right?

And yet, it feels as if that second half changed everything.

The way Daniels carved up the 49ers’ defense on that fourth-quarter touchdown drive to make it a one-score game. … The way the Commanders’ defense forced San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy and mates into a pair of late three-and-outs. … The heart the entire team displayed in rallying from 20 points down on the road to put a serious scare into one of the best teams in the NFL, when the natural inclination may have been to pack it in at halftime. … Those 30 minutes of football may have just saved the Commanders’ season, not to mention coach Dan Quinn’s job.

At the very least, the Commanders’ true identity remains to be established. And that’s a good thing, right? Right?

Nobody is going to sit here and tell you this is a great team, or even a pretty good one. It also remains to be seen whether Quinn is the right coach for this moment, particularly after another massive mental breakdown in Monday night’s second quarter when, after Daniels inexplicably threw away a fourth-down pass attempt, Quinn appeared to have lost track of what down it was. (He would later say he knew the Commanders had turned the ball over on downs and was not calling for the field-goal unit, as internet lip-readers claimed.)

But one thing is certain: the NFC East is an historically bad division — one in which, for the first time in NFL history, the entire division just went winless in back-to-back weeks in which all four teams played. For all their problems, the Commanders (1-4-1) are just two games back of the division-leading New York Giants (3-2-1).

Ask yourself this: who is the most dangerous team in the NFC East right now? The first-place Giants (whom the Commanders should have beaten last week except for their inexplicable time-management meltdown on the final play of overtime) lost starting quarterback Jaxson Dart for the rest of the season in Week 2, and the Philadelphia Eagles (2-4) just lost theirs, Jalen Hurts, also for the season. The Dallas Cowboys (2-4) have the 31st-ranked rushing offense and 32nd-ranked rushing defense in the NFL.

“We see the way the division is right now, the way things are going,” Sonny Styles, the Commanders’ rookie linebacker, told reporters Monday night. “We still have a chance. We’ve just got to keep fighting. [But] you’ve got to find a way to win at the end of the game.”

Anybody who studied the Commanders’ 2026 schedule when it first dropped in May understood the first half of it was going to be a gauntlet, with five of their first eight games coming against 2025 playoff teams. Through Week 6, it has been something close to a worst-case scenario. But their next two opponents — the Eagles (Nov. 1) and Los Angeles Rams (Nov. 8), both at home — are nowhere as scary as they looked last season, and the schedule eases considerably over the final two months.

There is, in other words, an argument to be made that the Commanders, so long as Daniels can stay on the field, are the most dangerous team in their division — an admittedly remarkable thing to say about a franchise that has won just three of its last 18 games dating to last October, with eight of those losses coming by double digits — or, at the very least, are as good as anyone else.

If Monday night’s second half accomplished nothing else, it may have bought them the opportunity to go out and prove it.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-49ers-monday-night-football Martenzie Johnson Washington, which saw star receiver Terry McLaurin carted off the field with a leg injury, enters its bye week with a 1-4-1 record. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 04:44:55 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-49ers-monday-night-football SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Despite being given several opportunities to pull off an improbable win against the undefeated 49ers, the Commanders came up short of a comeback in a 23-17 defeat on “Monday Night Football.”

Facing a third-and-long from San Francisco’s 40-yard line with six seconds left in the game, quarterback Jayden Daniels was sacked to provide an anticlimactic finish to a game that had plenty of twists and turns — including the return of some game management issues from the Commanders and the loss of star receiver Terry McLaurin to what looked to be a serious leg injury.

The Commanders trailed 23-3 midway through the third quarter, but were able to claw back within six points in the fourth. At one point, Washington appeared to take the lead on a long touchdown run from Jeremy McNichols, but it was called back by a penalty.

“I love their fight, but I’m sick about the ending,” coach Dan Quinn said. “When it’s hard, I love their resolve. But to be the team that we need to be, we’ve got to be more consistent.”

Daniels finished 29 of 40 for 300 yards and two touchdowns. Touchdown catches by Stefon Diggs and Rachaad White and penalties by the 49ers gave Washington hope, but in the end it wasn’t enough. While the loss drops Washington to 1-4-1, Monday’s late surge marked a dramatic shift from a deflating first half.

The 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey (117 total yards, two touchdowns), George Kittle (five receptions, 69 yards, one touchdown) and Mike Evans (three receptions, 94 yards) took turns carving up the much maligned Washington defense, helping San Francisco build a 20-3 lead at halftime. Quarterback Brock Purdy (264 passing yards, one touchdown) was barely rattled through the first three quarters, using both his arm and legs (28 rushing yards) to sustain drives, particularly on third and fourth down.

“Purdy does a really good job on third down, extending plays, getting first downs,” linebacker Sonny Styles said. “Those are tough. When you drop in the zone, guys are kind of deep. You feel like you got everyone covered. Then he runs for a first down.”

Washington’s offense didn’t reach the end zone until there were 15 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Its struggles were made worse by the loss of McLaurin, who went down with a leg injury in the first quarter. The unit looked rudderless for much of the first half, generating just 90 yards and failing to convert on a third down before the break.

“We dug ourselves a hole,” Daniels said after the loss. “We’ve got to [put together] a full game, be a four-quarter team. You know, not just a half team.”

But the team started to show a spark late in the third quarter. Daniels worked the ball to tight end Chig Okonkwo and Diggs, who found space in the defense to bring in a 13-yard pass on a fourth-and-5. Five plays later, Diggs beat 49ers corner Malik Mustapha for his one-yard score to make it 23-10.

Behind a Shy Tuttle sack and Jeremy Reaves pass breakup on Kittle, Washington forced a three-and-out on the 49ers’ next possession. The Commanders then drove 80 yards down the field, assisted by illegal contact and roughing the passer penalties by the San Francisco defense. White then hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to cut the 49ers' lead to 23-17.

But on Washington’s final drive, Daniels was pressured into an intentional grounding penalty with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter, which lost them a down and a crucial 10 seconds on the clock.

And on the final play, Keion White and Romello Height combined for a sack as double zeros hit the scoreboard.

Penalties and situational awareness fail the Commanders again

Despite stressing all week that they had to clean up their mental mistakes after allowing time to expire in a tie against the Giants last Sunday, Washington was once again guilty of them.

Facing a fourth-and-2 inside the red zone, Daniels escaped the pocket and was being chased by three defenders. Rather than throw it to anyone — including a trailing Antonio Williams — to give Washington a chance to convert, Daniels instead threw the ball out of the end zone for a turnover on downs.

A flag was thrown at the start of the play for an illegal shift by White, but Daniels took responsibility for not giving his teammates a chance to make a play.

“I have to execute better in that situation, regardless of a flag or not,” Daniels said. “Fourth down, we can’t die with the ball and stuff like that. So just be better. I have to be better in that spot.”

(Broadcast cameras showed Quinn mouthing “field goal” after the play, assuming he did not realize it was fourth down. Quinn said postgame that he “definitely knew it was fourth down.”)

Though Washington’s seven penalties for 66 yards trailed San Francisco’s 11 for 88 yards, they were backbreaking nonetheless.

A five-yard scramble by Daniels in the first quarter that would have set up a third-and-2 was instead pushed back 10 yards by a holding penalty by right tackle Josh Conerly; the Commanders punted three plays later.

A 2nd and 4 from the 49ers’ 45-yard line early in the fourth quarter turned into a second-and-19 from the Commanders’ 40-yard line after back-to-back penalties on left tackle Brandon Coleman (holding) and Conerly (false start).

The most crushing penalty came on Washington’s second-to-last possession. Running back Jeremy McNichols, off the injured reserve and playing in his first game of the season, broke off a 31-yard run up the left side of the field for a touchdown that would have put the Commanders up 24-23 with just over four minutes left in the game.

But left guard Chris Paul was called for a face mask penalty while providing a downfield block for McNichols, nullifying the score. Washington punted back to San Francisco, who were able to take a crucial 62 seconds off the clock before the final drive that Daniels was sacked on.

“The holding calls … you get beat sometimes. You could live with those. But the false starts … illegal shift, illegal formation that we had on that fourth down, that's the stuff that's killing us,” Daniels said. “We got to get lined up. I got to over communicate in the huddle, the play call, paint the picture for everybody, so everybody's on the same page.”

Moment that mattered: Intentional grounding

It looked like the Commanders were headed toward a game-tying — or perhaps game-winning — final drive.

They were given 15 yards on a fair catch interference penalty by San Francisco to start the final possession of the game on their own 46-yard line.

With under a minute to go, Daniels completed passes to White and Williams for nine and 17 yards, respectively, to put Washington on the 49ers’ 28 yard line.

But on the next play Daniels dropped back in shotgun as all of his pass-catchers ran vertical routes towards the end zone. San Francisco's four-man rush got to Daniels, and with no underneath option available, he chucked the ball toward the right sideline.

The only problem being there was no one in the area.

Thus, Daniels was penalized for intentional grounding, forcing Washington to not only lose a down but also a 10-second runoff, leaving them with just six seconds on the clock.

Daniels said he was willing to take the penalty because he couldn’t risk a sack due to the team being out of timeouts.

“Trying to save us some more time to get another playoff,” he said. “Just not trying to die with the ball and have everybody run back; just trying to get the ball out.”

What they had to say:

• Quinn on McLaurin’s injury: “The concern is that it could be significant, but we'll do the scans tomorrow and give you an update.”
• Styles on trying to contain McCaffrey: “He does a good job finding the hole. He's not a predictable back. Some guys are predictable, like they're more of a cutback or frontside guy. He does a good job being balanced.”
• Safety Jeremy Reaves on consistency: “That's what we can be. But I think we're all tired of seeing what we can be in situations. It's been a tale of two halves. This week it was the tail of the second half. And so we got to find a way to put four together.”
• Defensive tackle Tim Settle on the defensive turnaround in the second half: “We was tired of getting hit in the mouth. That's all I can say about it. We bowed up and played football in the second half.”

]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-terry-mclaurin-injury Martenzie Johnson The veteran wide receiver injured his left leg in the first quarter of Monday's game. Tue, 20 Oct 2026 01:05:18 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-terry-mclaurin-injury Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was carted off the field after suffering a lower leg injury in the first quarter of Monday's game against the 49ers.

With Washington trailing 13-3, McLaurin appeared to get his feet tangled with San Francisco corner Deommodore Lenoir on a third-down route. McLaurin reached for his left leg as he fell to the ground. He stayed down for some time as trainers put an air cast on his left leg. Teammates looked on as he was carted off to the locker room. Shortly after, the Commanders ruled him out for the rest of Monday's game.

https://x.com/TSN_Sports/status/2112346540794601655?s=20
The veteran wideout was in his second game back after missing Week 4 with a hamstring injury. Entering Monday, he had 14 catches for 203 yards and a touchdown this season.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-49ers-gameday-guide Alex Schiffer How to watch, pregame reading and more for Monday night’s game. Sun, 18 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-49ers-gameday-guide The Commanders travel across the country to face the undefeated Niners on Monday Night Football, a week after depriving themselves of a chance at a win against the Giants and settling for a tie.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. ET at Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California

TV: ABC and ESPN

Betting Lines

Lines from DraftKings, as of Friday. 

Spread: Commanders +7.5

Money line: Commanders +330, 49ers -425

Over/under: 51.5 points

Pregame Reading

The Packers’ star pass rusher Micah Parsons, who played for Commanders coach Dan Quinn in Dallas when Quinn was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, blamed Sunday’s tie and overtime gaffe solely on quarterback Jayden Daniels. Parsons said his former coach will be out of a job because of Daniels.

The Commanders’ lack of clock management in overtime against the Giants cost them a victory. Columnist Thomas Boswell wrote about the mistakes made in the waning seconds.

How do players move on from such a disappointing result? The Commanders coped with a mix of family time, pumpkin patches and romantic comedies, Martenzie Johnson reports.

About the Niners

The vibes are good in the Bay Area. The Niners are 5-0 and looking to upgrade their roster ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. General manager John Lynch, one of the more aggressive in-season executives, recently said star tight end George Kittle is lobbying him to trade for Chargers defensive end Khalil Mack.

The Niners are winning despite a banged-up wide receiver room. Deebo Samuel (hamstring), Demarcus Robinson (ankle sprain), and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling (ankle surgery) are all out for multiple weeks. But the team opened the practice window on Thursday for nine-year veteran Christian Kirk, who’s coming off a calf injury. Mike Evans, who’s battling a rib injury and Achilles soreness, is expected to play on Monday.

The game will also feature an on-field family reunion. Niners star running back Christian McCaffrey is the older brother of Commanders wideout Luke McCaffrey. Luke is the youngest of the four McCaffrey brothers, whose father, Ed, won three Super Bowls as a wide receiver. The two will play each other for the first time in the NFL.

“He's the only brother I've never gotten to play with or against, so I think this completes the cycle of sharing the field with him,” Christian McCaffrey told The San Jose Mercury News.

One Big Question

Can the Commanders move on from last week?

The Commanders’ end-of-game ridiculousness dominated most of the NFL news cycle this week, and even though the game didn’t result in a loss, Quinn said it felt like one. It’s the kind of game that can hang over a team for weeks.

Can Quinn and Daniels find a way to move the Commanders forward? While 1-3-1 isn’t an ideal record five games in, 12 more remain — including a stretch of winnable matchups in the back half of their schedule.

Quote of the Week

“I let guys know it'll never happen again, and we’re going to move forward,” Daniels said he told his teammates during a meeting on Monday.

Daniels took full responsibility for the tie, absolving Quinn and offensive coordinator David Blough for their roles in the overtime-clock mismanagement. Daniels looked great in his return from his second elbow dislocation in as many seasons, completing 68% of his passes for 199 yards and rushing for 103 yards and two touchdowns.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-move-on-giants-tie-jayden-daniels Martenzie Johnson After their frustrating tie with the Giants, Washington’s players did their best to put it out of their minds and focus on Monday’s matchup with the 49ers. Sat, 17 Oct 2026 10:00:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-move-on-giants-tie-jayden-daniels Amik Robertson was not in a good mood after the Commanders’ 27-27 tie with the Giants on Sunday.

The cornerback was penalized three times, including a ticky-tacky defensive pass interference call that wiped out an interception he got late in the third quarter. “Bullshit,” was how he described the call.

But days later, Robertson felt much better and had since moved on from the Meltdown in Maryland. And what helped the 28-year-old Louisiana native get past that game?

Rom-coms, of course.

“I didn't want to watch ‘The Notebook,’” Robertson said. “I watched ‘Anyone But You.’”

The Giants game was a major letdown for Washington. They led by 14 points with just over 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, and after getting in field goal range late in overtime, the Commanders let time run out in the game before they could even attempt the game-winning kick.

Head coach Dan Quinn called the tie “gutting.” Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin said it stung. And star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who laid on the ground for crucial seconds on the final play, said the result sucked.

The team gave themselves a day to sit with the result, and after two days off ahead of a Monday Night Football matchup with the undefeated 49ers, they were eager to put Sunday’s tie behind them and move on to Week 6.

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Each player had his own unique way of using the time off to help move on from one of the most disastrous endings in franchise history.

For some, their reprieve was television.

Robertson normally plays the Madden video game series in his free time, but it's hard to not think about football when you’re playing a football game. So he opted for the Glen Powell- and Sydney Sweeney-led “Anyone But You” to relax his mind.

Defensive lineman Deatrich Wise also uses television to relax. But when you have a 3-year-old son, you tend to have little control over the remote.

“Paw Patrol, Sesame Street, stuff like that,” Wise said of his off-day viewing habits. “Monster Jams. It’s usually what it is.”

Linebacker Kain Medrano visited a pumpkin patch in Frederick County, Maryland, with his girlfriend, who he said “gets very festive” during this time of year. It was an opportunity to give attention to something other than his job for the first time in weeks.

“You give football a break for a quick second, just focus on family, on stuff that you don't really get to focus on day in, day out,” said Medrano. “Just because you're here in the facility all the time.”

Spending time with loved ones was a common thread for other players.

Linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said his 3-year-old daughter provides both an escape from football and the perspective that you don’t have to linger on the negative results.

“Being with my daughter, she don't really give me time to sit and sulk about the football games,” Chaisson said. “I'm coming home and trying to just break everything down and cleanse my mind of it, and she jumps right on my lap. She don't care about the outcome of the game. She wants to go outside, draw chalk on the ground and play hopscotch, whatever it may be.”

Receiver Treylon Burks shares two daughters with his wife, Shelby. He used his time away from the facility to be with them. That said, the Arkansas native has other hobbies he would’ve liked to partake in, but the topography of the D.C. area makes it a bit difficult.

“It ain't much hunting and fishing out here for me, so I'll just wait till I can get back home to do that,” he said.

As reassuring and supportive as family can be, the pain of defeat (or a tie) can be an itch they can never scratch. Left tackle Brandon Coleman spent time with his girlfriend, family and friends, but he couldn’t stop replaying Sunday’s game in his head.

“They try to distract, but at the end of the day we're all competitors,” Coleman said. “It's tough — especially from something like that — to not think about it and have those thoughts after a game.”

Quinn implored the team to take those feelings and apply them to the final 12 games of the season. While a letdown like Sunday could tear a team apart, Quinn believes the adversity they’ve faced this season can help.

“We identified we only played 30% of the season,” Quinn said. “There's so much that's in front of us, and it's going to be an absolute battle.”

For what felt like the first time in his three-year career, Daniels faced heavy criticism for his decision-making in the Giants game. No matter what happened leading up to the final play, it was Daniels who took the sack and laid on the ground with no urgency.

"Jayden Daniels probably cost my man Dan Quinn his job, to be honest with you," Packers linebacker Micah Parsons said on his podcast this week.

Daniels said he leaned on his circle, including his parents, to move past the result. But more importantly, the 2024 Rookie of the Year award winner got back to work. He lifted weights, watched the Giants film and then got a jump start on studying the 49ers defense.

This may have been the lowest moment of his young career, but Daniels understands that dwelling on the tie or what he could have done differently won’t magically change the team’s 1-3-1 record.

“You still think about stuff like that, right?” he said. “But it can't help me. It can help me moving forward … I can't dwell on the past too much, because I got a game on Monday night to worry about.”]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/micah-parsons-dan-quinn-jayden-daniels Alex Schiffer The Packers star, who played under Quinn in Dallas, sounded off on Washington’s viral blunder. Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:47:22 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/micah-parsons-dan-quinn-jayden-daniels Green Bay Packers pass rusher Micah Parsons is putting the blame for the Commanders’ end-of-game blunder Sunday solely on Jayden Daniels.

In Sunday’s tie with the Giants, Daniels took a sack in the final seconds of the game and didn’t stop the clock in time for a field goal attempt. Commanders coach Dan Quinn and Daniels have both claimed responsibility for the gaffe, but Parsons said the blame should only go to the quarterback.

“Jayden Daniels probably cost my man Dan Quinn his job, to be honest with you,” Parsons said on his podcast Tuesday. “And, like, I'm a big Jayden Daniels fan. But the reality is, he probably cost a lot of people their jobs this past weekend."

Quinn was Parsons’ defensive coordinator in Dallas from 2021 to 2023 and the two remain close.

After the game, Daniels said the issue came down to situational awareness.

“We have to know the situation,” he said. “We have to relay that as an offense. It starts with everyone, top down. Ultimately, it's on me.”

But Parsons wasn’t buying it. He said teams spend so much time practicing late-game situations that Daniels should’ve known better, and his experience as a starting quarterback gives him less of an excuse.

“I'm a defensive player, and this shit's programmed to me,” Parsons said. “I even know what to do in those situations. … And mind you, it'd be different if Jayden Daniels was a rookie. This is your third year. You've been to the NFC championship game. You've been in big moments before. This is your job to be prepared to understand the game and understand situations. That's in your job profile.”

Parsons added that Daniels is extension eligible this offseason and his blunder doesn’t help his case to get paid, saying that Daniels’ injury history was already a factor that could impact his extension, but Sunday’s tie also hurts him.

“You're telling me, 'Oh, we're going to want to pay this guy eventually $60 million?'” Parsons said. “This cannot happen.”

The NFL star isn’t the only one who expects Sunday’s tie to ultimately impact Quinn’s job status. “Pardon the Interruption” co-host and former Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser said he would have called for firing Quinn in a column this week if he still had his old gig.

Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who is now an analyst for NBC, said, “I threw up in my mouth a little bit at the end of the game.”

And ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, who is never shy about giving his opinion, said on Monday’s episode of “First Take” that Quinn’s days are numbered.

“Dan Quinn, it was nice knowing you as the head coach for the Washington Commanders,” Smith said. “This will be your last season. You will not be the head coach of the Washington Commanders next season. … I know an imminent dismissal when I see one.”]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/thomas-boswell-commanders-dan-quinn Thomas Boswell In the final seconds of a crucial game, Dan Quinn’s team couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:30:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/thomas-boswell-commanders-dan-quinn As soon as the Washington Commanders assassinated their 85% chance to beat the New York Giants in overtime on Sunday at Northwest Stadium, I texted one of my longtime sports editors: “Good thing I’m not in the ‘fire the coach’ stage of my life, ‘cause I’d sure as hell fire Dan Quinn. What a ******.”

Now, after thinking, and having nightmares, about the worst brain-dead snafu I can recall in 70 years of watching Washington’s NFL team — plus listening to outraged experts on six different shows — I have one thought to add.

It’s possible that the Commanders did everything correctly, except for the last split second of their final play. One split second.

If Jayden Daniels had simply flipped the ball out of bounds — over the head of tight end Ben Sinnott, who was near the left sideline — instead of inexplicably holding it and getting tackled in the field of play, then the correct grade for the Commanders’ clock management in the final 55 seconds would be: A+.

Washington did everything perfectly in those final seconds, except the very last and most important thing: throw an incomplete pass (or spike the ball) to allow for a 42-yard field goal attempt, which the internet says NFL kickers make about 85% of the time.

It is absolutely incorrect, as some have said or implied, that the Commanders, once they reached the Giants’ 24-yard line, should have just spiked it and kicked it.

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That would ignore the 15% chance — far from insignificant — that rookie Drew Stevens would miss the kick. He’d already missed wide right on a PAT Sunday. The Giants kicker missed three field goals. It was a rainy afternoon and a wet field.

If Stevens had missed, the game would simply have continued, and the Giants would have had the ball at their 32-yard line, only about 30 yards from (long) field goal range.

Recent NFL miracles and debacles — like the Philadelphia Eagles losing in England on Sunday despite kicking off with a 2-point lead and just eight seconds to play — prove that every second matters.

Before the disaster, Washington did a perfect job of clock burning, moving to the line deliberately, barking several signals and sending a man in motion — any of which might have provoked an offside penalty against New York — before finally snapping the ball to Daniels just before the play clock expired and with 13 seconds on the game clock.

A quick drop back and throw away, plus the time needed for the field goal attempt, would have left the Giants with only about eight seconds if they got the ball after a missed kick.

This interpretation, one of many ways to view this epic football blunder, may give the Commanders too much benefit of too many doubts. I think it’s the most likely reality, but one that the team’s coaches shy from explaining clearly because it dumps more blame on Daniels, and less on themselves, after a game in which JD5 played bravely and very well.

What many have missed, and I’ve been looking for in every game analysis, is that at the 55-second mark, the Commanders had not one but two absolute imperatives: Make sure you get off a field goal attempt, and run off as much time as you (safely) can before that kick in case you miss.

Turns out that, even in this most generous of evaluations, the Commanders couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time. And historians recall that Quinn is also the coach, then in Atlanta, who blew the biggest lead in Super Bowl history to New England, in part because of widely criticized clock management.

During those 55 seconds, the Commanders certainly looked confused. After Daniels was tackled, for a second — a long time in the NFL — he did not even bounce up and rush to get the ball snapped and spiked. So, any variety of miscommunication is possible between Quinn, rookie offensive coordinator David Blough and Daniels during that time. But Quinn, Blough or both needed to be in the quarterback's earpiece with, “Above all, we have no timeouts left so Stop The Damn Clock!”

Also, Washington may have put too much emphasis on trying to gain a few more yards with (presumably) a short sideline pass that would either be caught or go out of bounds. Quinn said something along those lines afterward, implying he should have “made things easier” for Daniels by just “telling him to spike it.”

The only absolutely correct play, since neither team had a timeout left, was to bleed the clock, as the Commanders did, then spike the ball with about 12 seconds left on the game clock.

Is the whole mess worth firing a coach who, by many accounts, is an exemplary fellow?

I wouldn’t. Not now. Not with the team, apparently, still behind him. Not after his classy accept-the-blame press conference, which allowed Daniels to also accept blame but not actually get as much flack as he might have.

With offensive and defensive coordinators, and countless assistant coaches, the truth is that an NFL head coach doesn’t have to do much lifting, heavy or otherwise, during a game.

Do you throw the challenge flag? Do you go for it on fourth down? Do you manage your time outs correctly? Do you manage the clock precisely — and certainly never botch it entirely — at the end of the half and the game?

There’s other stuff. When to stomp on your headset. When to turn your hat around (never).

But the real test: Who is the coach next year? Sunday contained a painful amount of information on that.]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-defense-collapse-giants Martenzie Johnson After starting strong against the Giants, Washington surrendered touchdowns on three straight possessions. Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:20:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/commanders-defense-collapse-giants The reaction to the final seconds of Sunday’s Commanders-Giants game has felt like the Watergate hearings: What did the players know about the timeout situation, and when did they know it?

But Washington’s blunder was preceded by a fourth-quarter collapse where they were outscored 14-0 by the Giants in the final 11 minutes of the game.

The Commanders offense didn’t help matters by punting on three of its final four possessions — the botched final play ending the other drive.

But once again, Washington had a strong showing in the first half before coming apart at the seams in the second.

After watching the All-22 film, it appears two things happened: The pass rush that gave Giants quarterback Jameis Winston fits all first half (and produced a strip-sack fumble) was nonexistent in the final two quarters, and the Commanders became more concerned with defending big plays than trying to stop New York’s offense.

Coming into Sunday’s game it was clear that the defense’s best chance for success was getting to Winston, who has been one of the least efficient quarterbacks in the league when under pressure.

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On this play in the third quarter, the defense sat back in what looked like a Cover 4 zone, ceding the underneath area to Giants receivers. Winston had Malik Nabers on a quick slant, but the Commanders initially sent six rushers.

Linebacker Sonny Styles dropped back into coverage at the last second, but the confusion allowed fellow linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson a free lane on the other side of the line to Winston, who had to throw the ball into the dirt rather than hit Nabers for what would have likely been a first down.

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Washington was able to mix that pressure with its run defense, which was typically unrelenting in the first half. Defensive linemen penetrated the backfield while linebackers hit the gaps to meet ball carriers.

Case in point: Early in the third quarter, with the Giants facing a third-and-2, linebacker Frankie Luvu didn’t bite on backup quarterback J.J. McCarthy faking a handoff on a run-pass option. The stop cut New York’s drive short and forced a field goal attempt.

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But that success did not last.

Winston was pressured on 20 of his 59 dropbacks Sunday. Eleven of those dropbacks occurred in the first three quarters. He was sacked twice, including the strip-sack fumble caused by Chaisson.

But starting with the Giants’ first possession of the fourth quarter, Washington rarely put the heat on Winston. He was pressured on just nine dropbacks across the fourth quarter and overtime, completing five of nine passes for 45 yards and a touchdown.

On a second-and-5 at about the 10-minute mark, Winston was able to complete his three-step drop in a clean pocket and complete a 21-yard pass to tight end Theo Johnson.

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A few plays later, the Commanders provided a lot of cushion on a fourth-and-8 from Washington’s 17-yard line. They seemed focused on not letting anything in the end zone and again ceded too much underneath.

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At the snap, the Commanders sent six rushers while the four defensive backs sat back in Cover 0, meaning man-to-man coverage and no over-the-top help. If you notice, that's only 10 players accounted for. The 11th was 320-pound defensive tackle Daron Payne, who also dropped back to cover any shallow crossing routes.

But tight end Isaiah Likely ran a quick slant that placed him between Payne and the closest defensive back. He hauled in a 16-yard touchdown that pulled New York within seven points.

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On New York’s final possession of regulation, they made it to Washington’s 17-yard line. The Commanders again dialed up Cover 0 and provided 10-yard cushions to Giants receivers. Corner Mike Sainristil, who was benched after Week 2 due to consistent breakdowns in coverage, had Nabers as his assignment.

The Washington pass rush was unable to get pressure on Winston due in part to running back Cam Skattebo providing pass protection against a blitzing Jeremy Reaves.

Sainristil bit on Nabers’ jab step to the outside, opening up the middle of the field for the 17-yard touchdown grab that would send the game to overtime.

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Coach Dan Quinn said Monday that the defense mixed in more man coverage to balance out the zone looks, but he was upset about the execution, no matter what scheme they were in.

“The end-of-the-game play is the one that's the glaring one from the game,” Quinn said. “But there's a number of spots in the fourth quarter that we thought, offensively, defensively, [special] teams — these are our chances to close the door.”

As the Commanders head to San Francisco next week to take on the 5-0 49ers, they could face the same issues that New York presented in the second half on Sunday. Quarterback Brock Purdy is the third-least-pressured quarterback in the NFL, according to NFL Research, having been sacked just three times through five weeks. When blitzed — something Washington does at the second-highest rate in the league — Purdy has the second-highest quarterback rating (136.5) behind only Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (139.0).]]> https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/washington-commanders-collapse-dan-quinn Dave Sheinin Neither Dan Quinn nor Jayden Daniels could provide a satisfactory explanation after an ugly ending. Mon, 12 Oct 2026 01:27:00 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/sports/washington-commanders-collapse-dan-quinn As soon as the clock hit zero, Dan Quinn ripped the headset off his backwards-ballcapped head and spiked it to the turf, in much the same way a well-prepared quarterback of a well-coached team might be expected to do with the football, when his team is out of timeouts and well within range of a game-winning field goal in the final, ticking seconds of a critical NFL game.

Whatever it was that happened at the inexplicable, chaotic end of the Washington Commanders’ 27-27 tie against the New York Giants, the one thing that didn’t happen is the one thing that was supposed to happen — quarterback Jayden Daniels spiking the ball, stopping the clock and setting up what would have been a 41-yard field goal for the overtime win.

And because that didn’t happen — and because, instead, Daniels tried to run another play, was tackled for no gain, then watched helplessly as the final seconds ticked off the clock — Quinn, the Commanders’ head coach, endured a lonely and halting journey from the field to the tunnel that leads to the Commanders’ locker room, as Northwest Stadium filled with a hazy mist cut with shocked disbelief.

He walked with a slight limp and his hands on his head, alone. At the 25-yard line, Quinn suddenly stopped and stood for a good, long while, hands on his hips, staring out at the spot where this Commanders season very well may have expired a few moments earlier.

“When the time [runs out],” Quinn would say, “it’s not a good feeling, knowing this moment is going to slip through our fingers.”

In the aftermath of the meltdown that cost the Commanders a desperately needed win against a division rival, there was much said about accountability and resilience, with a healthy dose of frustration mixed in. Daniels repeated some version of the same line — “We have to be better” — no fewer than six times. Terry McLaurin said bluntly: “That can’t happen.” Quinn said several times he was the one at fault.

“The right call is obviously to [spike] it and don’t put ourselves in that spot,” Quinn said. “That’s my responsibility, no one else’s…. It stings today, bad. You don’t get those moments back.”

What was missing was any satisfactory explanation for what, exactly, had gone wrong at the disastrous end of the game. Instead, the principals talked around it in generalities and platitudes, leaving gaping holes to be filled with conjecture.

“We’ve got to be better at situational football,” Daniels said. “It starts with everybody, from the top down. But ultimately it’s on me. We’ve just got to be better.”

Asked directly whether he was aware the Commanders were out of timeouts, and thus had no way to stop the clock from ticking down to 0:00, Daniels gave an answer that was open to interpretation.

“Yeah,” he said, in a way that made that word sound more like an interjection than an affirmative, “we’ve just got to communicate that. That’s the whole thing. It starts with me communicating to everybody in the huddle. And I think everybody would say that from the top down.”

When Quinn was asked directly whether Daniels knew the team was out of timeouts, he said, “I haven’t spoken to him. But like I said, this falls on me.”

As for those above Quinn in the organizational hierarchy — a group that includes general manager Adam Peters and majority owner Josh Harris — the only public statement came from Magic Johnson, a minority owner, who posted on X: “I’m in total disbelief my Commanders had such terrible clock management in today’s overtime game against the Giants. All we had to do was kick the field goal and we would have won the game!”

It is hard to overstate how important Sunday’s game was for the Commanders. A win would have left them at 2-3 and a game out of first place in the imminently winnable NFC East, with a game in hand against the first-place Giants in case of a tiebreaker. A loss would have sent them to San Francisco next Monday night at 1-4 — and 0-3 in the division — and may have all but ended the competitive portion of their season.

At 1-3-1, the Commanders are neither finished nor well-positioned for a playoff run. But the fact is, they have just three wins in their last 17 games, dating to October 2025. Quinn may not get fired over Sunday’s debacle (which also saw the Commanders blow a 14-point lead in the final eight minutes of regulation), but it is the kind of embarrassment that, historically, has gotten head coaches fired. At the very least, the next week is likely to be filled with rampant speculation to that effect. Quinn may want to avoid sports-talk radio for the next few days.

Endings such as the one the Commanders authored on Sunday can make it challenging for a coach to hold a locker room together. Asked how the Commanders can possibly move forward after Sunday, he said, “We will. They’ve been through a lot already in five games. The locker room — this is a tough team. … They are equipped to absolutely dig in and get rolling.”

Late Sunday afternoon, Quinn got an uncomfortable taste of the fan base’s disillusionment. After Peters, the GM, came upon Quinn standing in disbelief at the 25-yard line, still staring out at the field, they walked off the field together in silence. In Section 108, the fans in the seats just above the tunnel stood and booed. Some of them held their arms out wide, palms up: the universal gesture for, “What the hell was that?”

Quinn kept walking and eventually disappeared into the tunnel, never looking up.
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