There's plenty of blame to go around when it comes to the Washington Commanders' head-scratching tie with the New York Giants on Sunday that felt more like a loss after what transpired in overtime.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels needed to have better time and situational awareness
. You can't go down in the middle of the field with no timeouts and your team already in position to kick a game-winning field goal.Offensive coordinator David Blough needed to make sure that was communicated to Daniels. He also shouldn't have put Daniels in position to make that blunder. If the Commanders weren't prepared to kick a field, the only other acceptable play was for them to spike the ball and stop the clock.
But ultimately, the buck stops with head coach Dan
Quinn. In a wild finish that saw Cam Skattebo fumble the game away for the Giants first, Quinn's 1-3-1 Commanders decided they didn't want it that bad either. Wherever the breakdown in communication happened, it's on Quinn that the operation failed. He admitted as much after the game.
Dan Quinn puts the blame on himself after Washington's late-game clock management issues resulted in a tie against the Giants pic.twitter.com/g76nau5nUN
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 11, 2026
"The last sequence, we throw it out of bounds, we clock it, you give yourself a chance to kick it. And we pride ourselves on those moments at the end of the game," Quinn said. "After the first-down run, you know, still trying to gain more [yards] for the kick. Right call is honestly we can go clock it early and don't put ourselves in that spot, and that's my responsibility. Nobody else's," Quinn said.
Not much has gone right for Quinn and the Commanders since their surprise run to the NFC title game in 2024-25. They're 6-15-1 since that conference championship loss to the Eagles. But much of their struggles the last year-and-a-half are less about Quinn and more about Daniels' injury woes. Under most circumstances, a coach in that scenario would feel secure in his job.
NFC LEAST: Ranking the East's saddest losses (non-wins) of Week 5
But when Daniels is making his return from an injury at home against a division rival in first place, and you not only blow a 27-13 fourth-quarter lead but give the game away in OT with one of the worst mistakes we've seen, that seat can heat up real quick. Especially when you're a coach with a history of blowing big games (anyone remember 28-3?).
It's one thing for fans and people in media to be calling for Quinn's job (both are happening). It's another thing when minority owner Magic Johnson is lamenting on social media how bad the loss was, and the franchise quarterback is also deflecting blame on Quinn.
If it's between Daniels, the young, first-time OC and the head coach who doesn't call plays and apparently doesn't manage game situations very well either, the choice is easy. Barring a dramatic turn in the season for the Commanders, it's probably a matter of when not if Quinn is looking for a new job.
🤝 Marvin Harrison Jr. trade grades
At last, we know where Marvin Harrison Jr. is headed. After ESPN mysteriously teased a Harrison trade Saturday, it was finally revealed a day later the Arizona Cardinals were sending him to the Houston Texans ... with none other than Texans coach Demeco Ryans breaking the news.
How Texans HC DeMeco Ryans wrapped up his Sunday post-game press conference: pic.twitter.com/c3ATQuKELk
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2026
FTW's Christian D'Andrea graded the trade and one team was a clear winner.
"Getting a second round pick for a player with five catches in four games is a haul. It's even better when you consider how much young talent Arizona needs. With Houston just notching its first win today, that's going to be a top 50 pick that could even sneak into the top 40 under the right circumstances. The Cardinals only had their own picks for the upcoming draft but added one that should bring an immediate contributor to the roster next season."
It'll be interesting to see if Houston and Harrison's former college-quarterback C.J. Stroud can get the best out of a receiver once considered a can't miss prospect.
🏈 Sunday recap
- The Packers' cathartic win over the Bears showed they aren't cooked just yet.
- Caleb Williams appeared to store away Packers LB Zaire Franklin's fiery rant for later.
- Mike Evans hilariously explained what led to his viral jersey trash-talk moment with Trevon Diggs.
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn't mince words discussing his uncharacteristic clutch drop in the Seahawks loss.
- The Jaguars' win over the Eagles in London was terrible, beautiful football.
- Jordan Battle called his shot before intercepting Malik Willis two times in Houston's divisional win.
- Drake Maye looked like his 2025 self in New England's win over the Raiders -- awful news for the AFC East.
- Bo Nix's review of the Broncos' middling performance versus the Chargers was an understatement.
- Dan Campbell choked up during a classy gesture to a Lions announcer amid his family tragedy.
Quick hits: SC trolls Florida ... Oklahoma flag plant ... and more
- South Carolina trolled Florida with the perfect team meal menu item after the Gamecocks' big win.
- John Mateer paid homage to Baker Mayfield with a flag plant after Oklahoma upset Texas.
- Dan Levy said he was left "speechless" in a lengthy retort to Shane Gillis' SNL monologue.
- FTW participated in USA TODAY Sports' NBA top-100 player rankings, with 100-51 up today.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Dan Quinn won't survive Commanders’ overtime blunder
