Washington Commanders are lost and head coach Dan Quinn is searching for answers

ASHBURN, Va. – In a meltdown reminiscent of the Washington Commanders’ inglorious past, many of their fans took to social media this week to excoriate the team after its 44-22 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

As if the drubbing at the hands of their archrivals wasn’t enough, the Commanders have often appeared to be in disarray this season – one that began with so much promise after their surprising run to last season’s NFC Championship Game.

With a potentially brutal stretch ahead on their schedule, things only figure to get harder for the reeling Commanders (3-4). Losers of consecutive games and three of four, they next travel to face the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs (4-3) on Monday Night Football without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was ruled out Wednesday because of a hamstring injury.

Head coach Dan Quinn acknowledges the Commanders are lost.

“We’re off course,” Quinn told reporters on Monday. “We have to get back on.”

Most of Quinn’s focus will be on Washington’s defense – which has been awful.

Statistically, the unit ranks poorly across the board. On the “eye test,” Washington scores even lower. Missed tackles, blown assignments, head-scratching penalties – game after game, the Commanders appear rudderless. Off their horrendous performance against Dallas alone, the Commanders could compile a long instructional video on the wrong way to play defense in the NFL. It’s really that bad.

And Quinn knows it.

“Our identity has not come together,” he said. “These next four games until our bye [week], we’ve got a lot of work to do to help create that [identity]. … Lots to work on.”

Quinn, who rose through the league’s coaching ranks on defense, must find the Commanders’ defensive failings especially galling. In fairness to the Commanders, their roster has been weakened by injuries: three defensive ends are sidelined for the season.

Of course, major injuries are commonplace in the most dangerous workplace in professional sports. Teams find a way to move forward and succeed – or they don’t.

Count on Quinn and Commanders general manager Adam Peters to discuss the possibility of acquiring defensive-line help. The reality, however, is that a Dexter Manley-caliber end (or any player of similar ability to those during the franchise’s glory days) isn’t walking through the door anytime soon at 21300 Coach Gibbs Drive in Ashburn. Most likely, Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. will have to make do with the players already on the team.

That’s why Quinn this week placed heavy emphasis on self-scouting. Before the Commanders prepare a game plan for the Chiefs, Quinn said, he intended to meet with his staff to evaluate – well, everything – in hopes of charting a better path forward.

Many fans on social media have suggested one possible change: benching struggling cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

Acquired at a high price last season from the New Orleans Saints (Washington traded picks in the third, fourth and sixth rounds of the 2025 draft for the four-time Pro Bowler and a 2025 fifth-round pick), Lattimore has not performed well in coverage. His shortcomings have stood out among an underperforming secondary, drawing the ire of fans.

No single player is to blame for the Commanders’ porous defense, Quinn stressed.

“How collectively do we do our thing better?” he said. “That’s what I’ve been digging in on hard.”

The fans’ angst isn’t surprising.

After the dark times under former owner Daniel Snyder, the Commanders had a charmed 2024-25 season, reaching the conference’s championship game for the first time in 33 years. Ecstatic about the 24-year-old Daniels – the 2024 Associated Press NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year – many fans believed the team had the look of a Super Bowl contender.

Now, though, the picture isn’t at all appealing.

Amid all the recent bad news surrounding the team, Quinn this week shared at least one encouraging development: He said Daniels did not suffer a “significant” or “long-term” injury to his right hamstring in the loss to Dallas.

After facing the Chiefs – winners of consecutive games while scoring at least 30 points in each of the last two – the Commanders face two more formidable opponents in successive weeks: the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions. Perhaps Daniels will return in time to give the organization a boost in those games.

Goodness knows, it needs a big one.

“We’ll find out a lot about our team in these weeks ahead,” Quinn said. “We need everyone to step up – coaches and players. That’s our job.”

This season, Quinn’s job has been tough. But the Commanders still have time to right the ship – and it’s up to him to steer it toward calmer waters.

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