The Washington Commanders lost this game on Sunday, from top to bottom!
Of course, I know it was a 27-27 tie, but the Commanders led 12-3 at halftime, 19-6 in the third quarter, and 27-13 in the fourth quarter. After all that, leaving the game without a win might as well be a loss, because it was one missed opportunity after another.
Head coach Dan Quinn was leading. He said in the press conference that the loss is on him; it should have never gotten to the last play. He is protecting his rookie offensive and defensive coordinators and his quarterback, Jayden Daniels. The fan base and I imagine most of the local media will respond by blaming Quinn, calling for Quinn’s job.
Make no mistake, both coordinators disappointed on Sunday. The defense made Jameis Winston, a career disappointing quarterback, look like a Pro Bowler in the second half. And why was offensive coordinator David Blough calling for long pass plays so often with that Giants pass rush bearing down on Jayden Daniels? And good grief, in overtime, if safety Jeremy Reaves had caught a Jameis Winston pass directly to him for an interception, the game was likely over, and we aren't talking about the final sequence.
The Commanders can't get the play off in time and this game ends in a tie pic.twitter.com/WmPp6q5hU0
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
With the ball at the Giants’ 24-yard line and 12 seconds remaining, the Commanders could have told Daniels to take the snap and spike it. That would have left about 10 seconds, and the Commanders would have snapped the ball to the 32 and attempted a 42-yard field goal to win. Their kicker is rookie Drew Stevens; thus, the call was to attempt one more sideline pass, making it even closer for Stevens.
The call, apparently from Blough, was to roll left and throw to the sideline, or throw it away and then kick a field goal. For starters, the offensive line executed the play very poorly, and Daniels was quickly in trouble. He should have just thrown it away at that point, but for some unknown reason, Daniels attempted to run.
Why?
Did Daniels not realize the Commanders had no timeouts remaining? Did you notice what Daniels did when tackled? Jayden Daniels showed no sense of urgency whatsoever. Teammates had to tell him to hurry up because they had no timeouts.
Daniels is human, and he appears to have blanked out after receiving the snap. It happens to all of us at various times, in various pressure-cooked situations we encounter. He even attempted some sort of half-play-action fake to Rachaad White, who didn't look to be expecting it either. After all, why would anyone believe Daniels was going to hand off when they had no timeouts left? That’s your first clue.
So, the truth is Dan Quinn will get most of the blame for this, with many calling for his job. But Daniels admitted in the press conference that they do, and they had practiced these situations. So Daniels simply lost focus under pressure, as his errors on the play show.
Fans and media are often so predictable. They blame the head coach, even though they know nothing about what is practiced and taught. They tend to idolize players, especially the stars, and thus can't bring themselves to blame their favorite player when they should.
But this time, though he had two wonderful touchdown runs, rushed for 103 yards, and led the team down the field on the final drive, Daniels is where some primary blame lies. Yes, Quinn could have settled for a 42-yard attempt and can be blamed for that, too. But it’s also true your star quarterback wasn't given too much to do on this play. He could have thrown the sideline route or thrown it away, and he failed to do either. And yes, the O-Line didn’t execute well either.
So, in the end, remember that Dan Quinn shouldn't be the only one you blame.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders have lots of blame to share in Sunday's loss...... tie