Commanders’ Dan Quinn is sculpting one of best coaching jobs in NFL history

On a night when Jayden Daniels etched his name alongside Josh Allen, the terrific rookie also broke a record held by a former Washington Commanders player. But as good as Daniels has been, Dan Quinn is sculpting one of the best coaching jobs in NFL history.

Jayden Daniels connected with Zach Ertz in overtime for his third touchdown pass of the game Sunday night, giving the Commanders a wild 30-24 overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons in a back-and-forth prime-time showdown between rookie first-round quarterbacks.

The victory locked up the Commanders’ first postseason berth since 2020. They haven’t won a game since 2005.

Commanders HC Dan Quinn has done incredible job

Before they hand out the coach of the year hardware, let’s get a few things straight. Quinn doesn’t have Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and talented defense like the Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell. He doesn’t have Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the NFL’s best one-two punch backfield like the Lions’ Dan Campbell. And Quinn doesn’t have Patrick Mahomes and one of the NFL’s best defenses like the Chiefs’ Andy Reid.

So what does Quinn have? He has a dynamic rookie quarterback who has far exceeded expectations. And then he has … waiting … crickets.

OK. It’s not a one-man show. Yes, Daniels did this against the Falcons: He ran for a season-high 127 yards, including 42 in overtime. He connected on 24 of 36 passes for 227 yards and threw three touchdown passes. And he did it despite a no-show effort from his best receiver, Terry McLaurin.

Also, Daniels soared behind a makeshift offensive line that lost two players during the game — including center Tyler Biadasz, who left late in the second quarter. Right tackle Cornelius Lucas, already filling in for starter Andrew Wylie, left with a groin injury.

So Daniels took snaps and ran away from pressure. All night. He made play after play after play.

But for all Daniels did, it wouldn’t have been enough by himself. Consider the fact the Commanders nearly lost when Olamide Zaccheaus dropped a third-down pass that gave the Falcons a chance for a winning field goal attempt at the end of regulation. Daniels’ three-and-out in that key spot — though not his fault — shows he needed help.

Dan Quinn has squeezed blood out of turnip

It starts on the defense side of the ball. The Commanders simply are not good. Yes, they rank No. 8 in the NFL in yards allowed. But that’s because they stand No. 7 in the league in time of possession. A defense doesn’t have to stop people when it isn’t on the field.

The Commanders are No. 19 in the NFL in points allowed at 23.3 per game. Again, that’s a misleading stat, boosted by the same time of possession help.

They traded for their second-best defensive player, but Marshon Lattimore can’t stay on the field. Jonathan Allen returned against the Falcons, but had zero impact on the game. Dante Fowler continued his renaissance season with another sack to reach double digits (10.5). And Bobby Wagner, in his 13th season, is still getting the job done.

Wagner said it has been a fun ride.

“You want to be in these moments,” said Wagner. “(Daniels) getting hit and making big plays, his confidence, his demeanor never changes. You know that he knows he’s going to make a play, and everybody on the sideline and on the field believes he’s going to make a play.”

But the Commanders defense is bad overall. They have somehow managed to play well enough to give Daniels just enough margin to pull out crazy last-second wins.

It is Quinn’s attitude and approach that has held the defense together.

Commanders simply don’t have receiving talent

Yes, Zaccheaus caught eight balls for 85 yards. But his drop on Daniels’ bullet strike in a key situation could have cost the Commanders the game. Maybe Zaccheaus could be a No. 4 on a good team, but he wound up being WR1 against the Falcons. And the fact the Commanders won anyway is a testament to Quinn getting players to perform beyond their perceived abilities.

When McLaurin catches one pass for five yards, the Commanders should lose. Somehow they didn’t. And that’s on Dan Quinn with a strong nod to Kliff Kingsbury as well. Everybody who gave Kingsbury a thumbs down a few weeks ago owes him an apology. The Commanders offense didn’t “fall off the Kliff.” It will rock and roll right into the playoffs.

Dan Quinn has changed the organization

In just one season, Quinn transformed a franchise Dan Snyder spent two decades ruining. Think about how unlikely this has been.

Quinn inherited a history of losing. He inherited a bad roster. He had to start from scratch with a rookie quarterback and a paper-thin receiver room. Think about the Commanders’ receivers for a minute. The room is so bad the Commanders scooped up a receiver from arguably the worst team in the NFL. K.J. Osborn couldn’t get on the field for the Patriots, but the Commanders saw him as a boost to their receiver group.

There have been so many reasons for the Commanders to fail this year. But Quinn has sailed the ship through storms. Sure, there has been some luck. But the win against the Bears doesn’t happen if the Commanders aren’t close at the end. The victory over the Eagles doesn’t occur if the Commanders give up after a terrible start. And the win against the Falcons doesn’t happen with 60-plus minutes of determination.

Nobody is predicting the Commanders will make a Super Bowl run this year. But if they hit on at least two draft picks in 2025 and sign a pair of key free agents, this team could be knocking at the door next year. Thanks in a big way to Quinn.