The Washington Commanders didn’t just lose on Sunday - they were shut out, 31-0, by the Minnesota Vikings in a game that left head coach Dan Quinn with no choice but to acknowledge the obvious: this was nowhere near the standard.
Quinn didn’t sugarcoat the result. “A performance like yesterday, man, that sets you back, that stings,” he said.
“That’s one that you want to get back to things right away because we missed it by a mile.” That’s as blunt as it gets, and frankly, it needed to be.
Washington didn’t just have a bad day - they had a total system failure.
But when the conversation turned to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Quinn took a more measured tone. He wasn’t looking to single anyone out, especially not his young signal-caller. Instead, he focused on the growth process.
“You know, what it was good to see,” Quinn said, referring to Daniels' effort to balance his athleticism with protecting the football. “I wanted to find out about a few of the lessons... using his superpower, but also protecting the team. So, the mindfulness to do that I thought was in the right spot.”
That’s coach-speak for: we’re trying to teach him when to take off and when to live to fight another down. And Quinn liked what he saw in practice leading up to the game. But when it came time to execute on Sunday, the results were rough - historically rough, in fact.
Daniels posted a passer rating of 35.0. To put that in perspective, spiking the ball every play would net you a 39.6.
With his full complement of starting receivers and a healthy offensive line, Daniels still managed season lows across the board: completions, completion percentage, passing yards, and yards per attempt - which sat at a paltry 3.9. That’s not just inefficient; that’s drive-killing.
His previous worst passer rating this season had been 72.7 against Seattle. Sunday’s 35.0 wasn’t just a step back - it was a freefall.
To Quinn’s credit, he didn’t pretend this was just about one player. “It was not the quarterback; everything was a mission failure yesterday, not specific to one position,” he said. “It was not good enough, not acceptable in any way, shape or form.”
That’s a coach trying to protect his locker room while still being honest about the product on the field. And he didn’t spare his staff either.
When asked about evaluating his coaches and players, Quinn said that process is already underway. “In a month’s time, I’ll have a better assessment for you for an entire season,” he said.
“I think it’s too early for me to call where I’m at on that.”
But the message was clear: no one - coaches, players, position groups - is above accountability. “We’ve got to make sure that we do everything in our power individually, by the unit, to make sure that these four weeks matter,” Quinn said. “It’s important, and we got to go find those edges.”
That’s the challenge now for Washington. With four games left, the Commanders aren’t just playing out the string - they’re trying to salvage something meaningful from a season that’s spiraling.
For Daniels, it’s about showing resilience. For the coaching staff, it’s about proving they can develop a young quarterback and keep a team engaged when the playoffs are out of reach.
Sunday was a low point - no question. But how this team responds will say a lot more about where it’s headed than one ugly afternoon in Minnesota.