Is Commanders coach Dan Quinn's job in jeopardy after tie with Giants?
Questions swirl Washington following last Sunday's embarrassing tie with the Giants. Where will they go from here?
NFLWashington CommandersJayden Daniels
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ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn sat at a table deep inside Northwest Stadium, trying to make sense of a moment that made none. A coach known for wearing his hat backward instead wore a look of disbelief.
For the next 10 minutes, he tried to get comfortable. He folded his arms, then put them at his side, then put them back on the table. There was no comfort, not with what he had to address.
He took a quick deep breath after the first two questions, then readied for more. And more would come. There was no getting around what happened: a botched final sequence in his team's Week 5 matchup with the New York Giants prevented a game-winning field goal attempt on the final play, resulting in a 27-27 tie.
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"Feels like a loss," Quinn said.
Inside the hushed locker room afterward, receiver Terry McLaurin stood against a burgundy cement wall. He looked upset; he looked drained; he looked bewildered. McLaurin, in his eighth season with the franchise, thought he'd seen it all in Washington -- but last Sunday brought something new.
"Unacceptable," McLaurin said.
With 50 seconds remaining in overtime, the Commanders had the ball at the Giants' 24-yard line with no timeouts. Then, all hell broke loose. They didn't snap the ball until there were 12 seconds to play. On the play, quarterback Jayden Daniels dropped back to pass and then quickly looked to scramble. He started upfield, then was tackled with nine seconds left. He did not get off the ground for another four seconds and there was little urgency by his teammates.
Once the final seconds had ticked away, Quinn slammed his headset to the ground, then stood at the 25-yard line, staring straight ahead as players headed to the locker room. Guard Sam Cosmi threw his helmet and kicked a pylon on his way inside.
The failed end-of-game operation led to a week of debate and questions: Did the players know they were out of timeouts? Who called the play? Why did it take so long? Why not spike the ball? It also led to an internal self-examination about what transpired. It also led to outside noise as analysts, fans and media discussed the play and assessed blame and a locker room that tried to shield itself from it all. It led to questions about Daniels and first-year offensive coordinator David Blough and, of course, Quinn's job status.
It also led to a reminder heard often for the team, now 1-3-1, during the week: There were still 12 games left, beginning with Monday night's matchup with the San Francisco 49ers (8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC).
"It's easy to come in and mope around," said running back Austin Ekeler, "but we can't do that because we still have a goal in front of us."
By Thursday, when they resumed practice, they had moved forward. But one former Commanders player said last week he would know from an outside perspective if the team had remained united by the message being delivered.
"If everyone says the same thing, you know they're in a good space," the player said. "If everyone says something different, then you might have an issue."
The message was the same throughout the week: They addressed the issue, said they were united and that they were moving on. But how quickly they can actually escape what happened remains to be seen.
As the former player said, "Winning cures all."
Dan Quinn reacts after his team's 27-27 tie with the Giants last Sunday. Amber Searls-Imagn Images With 1:02 remaining, Commanders receiver Treylon Burks caught a pass, broke three tackles, turned upfield and ran out of bounds with 55 seconds left. The next play was a run that took five seconds. Then, 38 seconds elapsed before the next, and final, play was run.
The players on the field reacted to Daniels being tackles as if they had more than enough time remaining. Two players ran downfield routes. Their urgency in returning to the line of scrimmage, along with others on the field, was low. One of them, Burks, engaged verbally with the player covering him rather than sprint back.
The sequence left at least one player to wonder if some on the field had forgotten about the run play and thought the clock had been stopped. Multiple former play callers who did not want to be identified told ESPN they believed Washington -- Blough and the offensive players in particular -- didn't realize how much time had elapsed.
"It took so long in the huddle and they used motion," one former play-caller said. "I think they lost track of time."
One team source said the play call took too long to be relayed. After it was relayed, multiple team sources said it was surprising to see players being subbed in: They replaced two receivers with two tight ends. Then tight end Ben Sinnott went in motion from left to right and then back again, using more time.
Potentially compounding the issue, after the snap left guard Chris Paul stepped on Daniels' foot as he backed away from center. One player wondered if that messed up the timing for Daniels, increasing his urgency to run. An offensive coach from another team wondered the same, saying it then altered his drop and impacted the angle of the throw, causing Daniels to go into "panic mode."
Multiple players said they knew they were out of timeouts, which is why no one signaled for one after the sack.
Headset communication from the coaching staff to the quarterback cuts off with 15 seconds left on the play clock, and the lone voice talking to Daniels during this time is Blough, though Quinn is able to interject with his OC.
"If I'm the OC I'm asking the head coach, 'what do you want me to do?'" said one former defensive play-caller. "I'd tell them 'let's kill as much clock as we can or throw it out of bounds.' But whatever we do, we can't be tackled in-bounds with the ball."
"We learn," Blough said. "For me in particular, it's how do you handle that situation better the next time you're in it? It's a scar that we will all wear, but we go forward, man, and that's all you can do."
Up until the final play, Daniels was having a terrific game, posting 199 yards passing, 103 yards rushing and two touchdowns. That performance -- his first game playing with a brace on his left elbow that he dislocated in Week 2 -- provides hope, the last play notwithstanding.
As one player said, "If he plays like that, we have a chance."
Multiple players told ESPN that the team has not lost confidence in any of the parties involved -- Quinn, Blough, and Daniels especially.
Daniels briefly addressed the offensive players in a meeting last Monday, and one player said some clapped for him. Other teammates seated in the front row -- where Daniels always sits -- dapped him up after he spoke. The player said it was reminiscent of how they responded to him two weeks prior, when he told them that he'd return from a dislocated left elbow suffered in Week 2. Then, they clapped and cheered loudly. Some even stood, according to multiple people who were in the room.
Ultimately, Quinn, Blough and Daniels all accepted responsibility for the play -- both to the team and when addressing the media during their respective press conferences this week.
"It has been dissected, discussed and corrected internally. And that's where we'll stay," Quinn said.
Until the final play, Daniels was having a terrific game, passing for 199 yards, rushing for another 103 yards and scoring two touchdowns. Amber Searls-Imagn Images During a panel on team ownership at The Economic Club in Washington, D.C. Thursday night, Harris referenced the "emotional rollercoaster" of being an owner. Sunday provided another reminder of an extreme low.
"I want to apologize to my wife for this last week," Harris told the crowd when discussing how it becomes an all-consuming familial pursuit. "I'm really sorry. It was a bad week, a bad Sunday. Look, that stuff stays with you."
Although the past seven days have been difficult for the organization, a source familiar with internal leadership conversations told ESPN that Quinn's job is not in immediate jeopardy and, the source said, that isn't likely to change during the season.
Ownership is aware of the support Quinn has in the locker room, the leadership source said, echoing what others said last season as well as this summer. They also know the team has been hit hard by injuries over the past two seasons and that with multiple players returning, or close to it -- and with a division that is seemingly up for grabs -- they want to see how this group responds.
It has been made clear multiple times since Josh Harris bought the team in 2023 that he does not like to change coaches during the season. He has fired two coaches with the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers -- Brett Brown and Doc Rivers, both after the season. Another coach, Doug Collins, resigned.
However, as owner of the NHL's New Jersey Devils, he has fired three coaches midseason. However, none had the first year Quinn had with Washington, taking the team to the NFC Championship Game in his first season. And, in each firing, they had been in charge for more than three seasons -- and other factors, such as whether or not they lost the locker room, were considered.
Ownership and other high-ranking members of the organization have long pointed to Quinn's leadership and team building as to why they remain behind him. They also felt Quinn did not lose the locker room last season, despite going 2-10 after a 3-2 start. They also did not discuss Quinn's job status with him before the season -- giving him no mandate as to what it would take to continue.
One player on the roster last season said the team also had "enough veteran presence that had been through stuff that they could say, 'Believe what this guy is saying.' And everybody believed. It was a close group. It allowed us to stay together. That doesn't mean it wasn't hard."
But, he said, knowing how players handled it in 2025 is why he doesn't think this gaffe "will break their confidence. I don't think inside is the issue; it will be outside."
Quinn has told people this week he still strongly believes in both first-year coordinators, Blough and Daronte Jones.
That doesn't mean Quinn and his staff receive a free pass. As one team source said, the losing would wear out anyone, including Harris. People who have worked for Harris say he separates emotion from his decision-making, but he's also not immune to feeling a certain way.
An ugly loss in San Francisco likely wouldn't change anything about Quinn's status, the source said.
Still, the Commanders are 6-15-1 since the start of last season and 3-13-1 in their last 17 games.
But, for now, they're not looking at the past.
"The sky is not falling right now," Cosmi said. "We've got 70 percent of our games to go. Put your head down, keep working, learn from your mistakes and push forward. All the opportunity is there to win the division."
