The Washington Commanders lost to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday to drop to 1-4-1 on the season and now sit alone in last place in the NFC East after Week 6. The Commanders staged a late comeback, but the 49ers held on for a 23-17 win.
For the second straight week the spent their postgame discussing a glaring mistake that went far beyond the actual result of the game. In Week 5 they failed to even attempt a game-winning field goal at the end of overtime and settle for a tie against the Giants.
In Week 6 they turned the ball over on downs in the second quarter. As the Commanders’ offense left the field, head coach Dan Quinn was shown on the broadcast appearing to be surprised that it had been fourth down. He was asked about this viral moment after the game and insisted that he knew exactly what was happening and was simply explaining it to someone over his headset.
MORE: Terry McLaurin injury update: Latest news on Commanders WR’s status in Week 6 game
Dan Quinn explains viral 4th down clip vs. 49ers
The Commanders head coach explained what happened in the moment. (via @Commanders and ESPN) https://t.co/pBxDVwe1qF
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 20, 2026
“No, I definitely knew it was fourth down,” said Quinn. “We were going for it and I think what you’re referring to I was probably saying with the illegal shift, there’s not a penalty to go for a field goal. It’s the turn on downs. I think somebody asked me can we kick a field goal.”
Quinn also said he thought they would need more touchdowns to win, which is why they were going for it there. But the important thing is that he reiterated that someone had asked about kicking.
If this is true, it’s just illustrative of an overall failure by the coaching staff to understand game situations. Everyone with a headset should have known they weren’t going to get a do-over. Just like everyone should have been screaming about what happened in overtime last week.
This is just another example of the entire team not being on the same page.
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