It's been a difficult week for Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. His squad took another beating at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. His decision to keep quarterback Jayden Daniels in the game also backfired spectacularly.
Quinn took full accountability for Daniels' dislocated elbow, which he suffered while striving for the end zone midway through the fourth quarter of a blowout loss. The signal-caller is out indefinitely and might not feature again this season. That's on the coach, and the criticism in the injury's immediate aftermath was scathing.
There is nothing Quinn can do about it now. He cannot change the past, so this is all about looking to the future and trying to salvage some respectability from the campaign. But amid growing questions about his decision-making, he found a supporter from an unlikely source.
Dan Campbell throws support behind Commanders head coach Dan Quinn
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who leads his team into Northwest Stadium for a revenge mission this weekend, sympathized with Quinn's predicament. He thought trying to get Daniels into a rhythm after his absence played a role, but he urged his coaching compatriot not to dwell on it for too long, as it's not really his fault.
"Yeah, you can't second-guess that. Look, that's me. You can't. He just got back, I'm sure [they're] trying to get him in a rhythm, a flow. So I just, I think it's hard to second-guess that. I know hindsight and all this and that, but yeah, I do feel for him. But I don't feel like he should have to feel that way. Trying to get your guy going, back in a rhythm. It's unfortunate. I hate that for JD, man. That's tough. But it's not his fault."
Dan Campbell via SI
The Commanders would have had their work cut out with or without Daniels in Week 9. The game was out of sight, and Quinn should have recognized that. He can't pull everybody in a blowout, but he should have pulled his franchise player.
Wallowing in self-pity is not going to do anybody good. The Commanders have to roll up their sleeves and show some fight. The players need to bounce back in the face of adversity, and the coaching staff must make the necessary adjustments to turn their fortunes around.
Being indecisive after this is not an option for Quinn. Anything can happen in the NFL. Injuries are a big part of the league's violent nature. He's cut a dejected figure throughout the week, but letting this creep into his coaching on game days is a recipe for disaster.
Quinn should heed Campbell's advice. The Commanders' fortunes over the second half of 2025 depend on it.