Dan Quinn’s viral 4th down debacle shows Commanders need to make coaching change originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Washington Commanders' latest disappointment was a 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night, putting the spotlight even brighter on Dan Quinn.
As the Commanders are now 1-4-1 on the season and in danger of seeing their season slip away, Washington could find it necessary to make a coaching change before the season ends. Quinn didn't help himself in the first half when the Commanders squandered a scoring opportunity with another viral blunder on fourth down in field-goal range.
Washington was facing a 4th-and-2 from the red zone when Jayden Daniels rolled out and threw the ball away, turning the ball over on downs as a result. The Commanders committed an illegal shift on the play, which would have negated any play anyway, but Daniels' decision to not even try to get the first down drew scrutiny.
Im not sure the Commanders knew it was 4th down https://t.co/GldBCu4EdN
— BetMGM 🦁 (@BetMGM) October 20, 2026
However, the bigger blunder came immediately after the play, when the "Monday Night Football" broadcast showed a Quinn reaction that went viral. With Quinn already dealing with the heat of last week's tie vs. the New York Giants, this will not help matters.
Here's a look at the mistake that Quinn made on Monday night.
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Dan Quinn 4th down blunder
After the notable failed fourth down against the 49ers, ESPN showed Dan Quinn on the sidelines seemingly forgetting that the previous play was fourth down and wanting to attempt a field goal before realizing the team couldn't anymore.
“Field goal. Oh, that was 4th down?” certainly looks like lip readers believe Dan Quinn was completely unaware that it was 4th down and wanted to kick a field goal 💀💀💀 https://t.co/yJYuAUmVZX
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 20, 2026
That moment went viral, with Quinn's critics adding it to their argument for Washington making a coaching change. After the game, Quinn defended himself and said the moment was just him clarifying with his coaching staff about the illegal shift penalty.
"I definitely knew it was fourth down," Quinn said. "We were going for it, and I was — I think what you're referring to, I was probably saying, like, with the illegal shift, there's not a penalty to go for a field goal. Like, it doesn't go, like, it's the turn on downs. Like, I think somebody asked me, 'Can we kick a field goal?' So, now we were going for it. We knew we had to go for some fourth downs to be bold in the game."
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Had the Commanders gotten the first down on the play, the 49ers would have accepted the penalty, leading to Washington kicking the field goal. Instead, the 49ers declined the penalty and allowed the failed fourth down to stand.
"I knew what happened," he said. "I think, I probably was just commenting that I remember, at least on the headset, somebody asked me, after an illegal shift, like it was turnover on downs, and Jayden [Daniels] saw the foul, too. He also came out and saw the penalty."
The Commanders head to their bye week in Week 7, which some fans believe is the perfect time for the team to make a coaching change. For now, Quinn has to try to find a way to turn the team's season around.
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