Published October 20, 2026 10:23 AM
After Monday night’s game, Commanders coach Dan Quinn took his time in showing up to talk to reporters. He arrived nearly an hour after the game ended — and after quarterback Jayden Daniels met with reporters (which is very unusual, for any team).
Quinn knew all about the viral moment in which he seemed to be surprised after a failed fourth-and-two play from the San Francisco 13 in the second quarter. It looked like he didn’t know it was fourth down. At the press conference, Quinn had an explanation.
“I definitely knew it was fourth down,” Quinn said, before slipping into a word salad that was largely confusing and pivoted to him explaining that they planned to go for it on fourth down throughout the game because they expected it to be a higher-scoring contest.
Even though Quinn’s body language suggested that he was surprised to find out it had been fourth down, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. He knew it was fourth down. But the operation for which he’s responsible didn’t know, once the penatly flag landed on the field (in plain view of quarterback Jayden Daniels) that it wasn’t a situation in which failure to reach the line to gain would make it fourth and seven with a chance to kick a field goal.
When the play isn’t shut down by a pre-snap foul, a penalty on the offense can be declined by the defense.
After the play, there should have been no confusion — from anyone — as to what had happened. The 49ers would decline the penalty, and the 49ers would take possession. Because it had been fourth down.
While some will believe (as I do) that Quinn (and his quarterback) didn’t know it was fourth down, the explanation doesn’t exonerate the lack of attention to detail. Instead, it changes the conversation from “did you know it was fourth down?” to “why didn’t you realize you still had to gain at least two yards to retain possession?”
It speaks to the overall culture under Quinn. The mastery, or lack thereof, of situational football.
Quinn will get another chance to explain himself today, when he conducts his day-after press conference (unless he’s fired before then). With the Commanders entering their annual bye, both Daniels and offensive coordinator David Blough won’t be available to reporters until next week.
If/when there’s ever an admission that a mistake was made, we know what the drill will be: “It’s my responsibility. I take accountability. It won’t happen again.”
How many lessons will Quinn, Daniels, and Blough get to learn on the fly? Teams don’t hire head coaches with the idea that there will be multiple years of on-the-job training when it comes to the nuances of the game. Quinn has been coaching in the NFL continuously since 2001, with the exception of a two-year stint at Florida in 2011 and 2012. He served as the Falcons’ head coach for six years, and it’s his third year with the Commanders.
In hiring Quinn, the Commanders weren’t rolling the dice on a newbie. They were hiring a fully-formed football coach who presumably knows how the game works, in all respects.
The last two games have proven otherwise. And it further complicates the decision that owner Josh Harris, who is still a new, inexperienced owner, will be making as to whether to make an in-season change.