Washington Commanders Spiral Continues: Can Dan Quinn Weather the Storm?
The Washington Commanders’ season has gone from hopeful to historically bad in the span of a few months. After riding high on a 12-5 campaign and a trip to the NFC Championship Game last season, Dan Quinn’s squad now finds itself at 3-10 following a 31-0 shutout loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That marks eight straight defeats for Washington - and here’s the kicker: five of those losses have come by 21 points or more.
That’s not just losing - that’s getting run off the field.
And while no one’s calling for Quinn’s job just yet, it’s fair to ask the tough question: how much of this collapse falls on the head coach?
Let’s be clear - Quinn isn’t solely to blame. Injuries have torn through this roster, and the front office, led by GM Adam Peters, took a big swing this offseason by adding veteran talent in hopes of making another deep playoff run.
That gamble has backfired in a big way. Not only has the roster thinned out due to injuries, but several young players who flashed promise last year - including Frankie Luvu, Mike Sainristil, and Quan Martin - have regressed noticeably.
That kind of across-the-board drop-off usually points to coaching.
Defensively, things have unraveled. The Commanders have struggled to stop the run all year, a long-standing issue in Quinn’s defenses dating back to his days in Dallas.
The early-season narrative blamed defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., who has since been demoted. But the problems go deeper than the play-calling.
This group has lacked the talent and execution to compete, and it shows.
One of the more troubling trends? Quinn’s defenses continue to get picked apart by coaches from the Shanahan coaching tree - Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur, Kevin O’Connell - all of whom have found success against Quinn-led units.
That pattern isn’t new, and it hasn’t gone away. In fact, it’s only become more glaring.
With four games left, the Commanders are staring down the barrel of a possible 12-game losing streak to close the season. That’s not just rare - it’s nearly unheard of in today’s parity-driven NFL.
If that happens, a 3-14 finish could land Washington the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. That’s not the kind of rebuild Peters had in mind when he retooled the roster last spring.
So what now?
Quinn isn’t on the hot seat - not yet. But if this team limps to the finish line without showing signs of life, it’s hard to imagine ownership standing pat.
In this league, 3-14 seasons don’t go unnoticed. Especially when they end with a double-digit losing streak and a string of blowouts.
The Commanders don’t just need a win. They need a spark - something, anything - to show that this coaching staff still has a grip on the locker room and a plan for the future. At this point, even staying competitive would feel like a step in the right direction.
The clock isn’t ticking on Dan Quinn just yet. But it’s getting louder.