The Washington Commanders committed one of the worst clock management mistakes in recent NFL memory Sunday.
The Commanders were in field goal range with the game tied in the final minutes of overtime. But the team inexplicably allowed the clock to tick before calling and running another play while not having a timeout. With quarterback Jayden Daniels falling down at the line of scrimmage on the next play, the Commanders were unable to get back to the line of scrimmage to then spike the ball to try a field goal.
Instead, the Week 5 matchup against the New York Giants ended in a 27-27 tie.
Many pundits have argued in the 24 hours since the mistake it was a fireable offense. Analysts have firmly placed Commanders head coach Dan Quinn on the chopping block.
In his weekly Monday press conference, Quinn addressed his job security with pundits around sports media calling for his immediate firing.
“I do know how the league goes. I’m well aware of that,” Quinn said of the NFL coaching landscape. “Josh (Harris) and I talk regularly before games, after games, after good games, after tough games. That’s a normal process for us. And trust me, no one is pleased with this outcome and where we’re at.
“But the part that we do have, those hard conversations, were honest about where we’re at and what we need to fix and what we need to work on. I like having that communication with him.”
Dan Quinn Firmly on Hot Seat With Commanders After Week 5 Tie
Quinn was arguably already on the hot seat before Week 5. Since he led the Commanders to a 12-5 record and their first NFC championship appearance in decades during his first season in 2024, things have just gone from bad to worse.
After Sunday, Quinn is 18-20-1 in parts of three seasons with the Commanders. The team has only won three games over the past year.
But after the Week 5 disaster, there’s no denying Quinn is on the hot seat. A lot of analysts argued the Commanders should have fired Quinn on Monday to hold him accountable for the embarassing clock management versus the Giants.
“Some have suggested that Sunday’s colossal blunder seals Quinn’s fate at the end of the year,” wrote Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio on Monday. “Properly functioning organizations, however, will implement the decision as soon as it’s made, if only to begin the process of searching for the next coach.”
“I know an imminent dismissal when I see one,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on First Take on Monday, via Heavy Sports’ Adam Martin. “I know me some Earvin ‘Magic‘ Johnson; I have known that man for a quarter century; I know what he means when he speaks; I know what he means when he’s silent; I know him. I am telling you right now, Dan Quinn has lost support in that room. It’s over.”
Smith was referring to the post on X that Magic Johnson, who is one of the team’s part-time owners, made after Sunday’s loss.
“I’m in total disbelief,” Magic wrote on X on Sunday. “My Commanders had such poor clock management in today’s overtime game against the Giants. All we had to do was kick the field goal and we would have won the game!”
How Does Quinn Come Back From Overtime Disaster?
With all of that in mind, one could argue there’s no coming back for Quinn after what happened Sunday. Overall, that was the points Florio and Smith made.
And if there’s no coming back, then it would be best for the Commanders to fire Quinn immediately.
That hasn’t happened, though, so Quinn has to work under the assumption he can bounce back from this. That doesn’t mean, though, the head coach doesn’t understand the dire situation he might be in with his job security.
“I don’t catastrophize things, but I do want to make sure that I don’t minimize things either,” Quinn added. “There are plenty of things to improve upon from this game. Not just the last play. I want to make sure that I’m always emphasizing that to the team, about what we’re capable of, what we need to work on, but by no small margin, it was the execution man. That’s what I want us as players and coaches to absolutely drill down, nail it.”
Toward the end of his press conference Monday, Quinn was asked to address Commanders fans who have lost faith in him as the team’s head coach. Quinn tried to deliver a message to calm the noise.
“I’m just as pissed too. This is a really hard loss, man. I have a lot of faith in who we are as an organization, ownership, coaching, players. So, I’m very much looking forward to getting back on the field Monday night.”
Commanders’ Dan Quinn Speaks out on Job Security After Calls for Firing