Kyle Terada-Imagn Images/Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Commanders coach Dan Quinn next to fourth down sign
Commanders coach Dan Quinn found himself on the hot seat just a few games into the current NFL season, and it got even warmer after Washington fell to 1-4-1 with a loss to the 49ers on Monday night. He went viral after a camera appeared to catch him admitting he didn’t realize his team was facing fourth down on a play that led to a change in possession, but he offered an explanation while denying that was the case.
In 2024, Dan Quinn was tapped to replace Ron Rivera as the head coach of the Washington Commanders. That also marked Jayden Daniels’ first season in the NFL, and the duo kicked off the new era with a bang by posting a 12-5 record before the team made it to the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years.
Daniels was hampered by injuries last year during a campaign where the Commanders firmly missed the playoffs after going 5-12, and they were obviously hoping to turn things around in 2026. However, that has not been the case so far.
Washington was sitting at 1-3-1 ahead of their showdown with the 49ers on Monday Night Football, a matchup that unfolded a week after Quinn and his starting quarterback were roundly criticized for the disastrous clock management that resulted in a tie with the Giants after they blew a chance to attempt what would have been a game-winning field goal in the closing seconds of overtime.
The Commanders can’t get the play off in time and this game ends in a tie https://t.co/WmPp6q5hU0
— NFL (@NFL) October 11, 2026
Monday night’s contest offered a shot at redemption, and Quinn may have dug his hole a bit deeper after seemingly making another big mistake he got the chance to answer for after it went viral.
Dan Quinn says he didn’t forget it was fourth down after he appeared to admit he did on the sideline
The Commanders were facing an uphill battle as underdogs against a San Francisco team that entered Monday night with a spotless record, and the latter ultimately improved to 6-0 with a 23-17 win on their home turf.
Washington trailed 13-3 a couple of minutes into the second quarter but had a chance to put points on the board in the red zone, and Quinn decided to gamble by keeping the offense on the field on fourth-and-two.
However, we were treated to another fairly baffling decision for the second week in a row after Daniels was forced to scramble out of the pocket and threw the ball away to hand the ball over to the 49ers.
200 IQ play. Jayden Daniels throws the ball
OUT OF BOUNDS on 4th down to avoid accidentally throwing a touchdown. https://t.co/Pxj4Bn0rTf— Hater Report (@HaterReport) October 20, 2026
The broadcast cut to the sideline after the play and appeared to capture Quinn saying, “Oh, it was fourth down,” and many fans jumped to the conclusion that he (and possibly Daniels) were under the impression they had another down to work with when that was not the case.
However, Quinn pushed back against that narrative at a postgame press conference, saying, “I definitely knew it was fourth down” while asserting he was reacting to the penalty call that the 49ers declined in order to take possession.
“I definitely knew it was 4th down.”
Commanders HC Dan Quinn on the 4th down play that Jayden Daniels threw the ball away in the second quarter. https://t.co/SiBP2SIClg
— ESPN (@espn) October 20, 2026
It seems like a fairly plausible explanation, but the optics are certainly less than ideal for a guy who might be fighting for his job by the end of the season based on how it’s been going so far.