The Washington Commanders' luck has officially run out. Their embarrassing loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12 was the team's most disappointing reverse under head coach Dan Quinn to date. Pessimism is quickly returning after a sensational start to the campaign under his guidance.
Washington had a shot to take it to overtime but was undone by an extra-point miss and a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. That didn't tell the full story. The Commanders got what they deserved and never looked like winning the contest until it was almost too late.
More offensive failings were the catalyst behind their demise. The defense held their own for the most part. Special teams weren't at the races, but it seems as if the league is starting to figure out Kliff Kingsbury's schematics and counteracting them accordingly.
Dan Quinn wants improved execution from the Commanders
This was not a sentiment echoed by Quinn during his media availability after the demoralizing defeat. The former Cowboys defensive coordinator didn't think it had anything to do with the concepts being deployed by Kingsbury. He pointed the finger squarely at the players for their lack of execution in key moments.
"Make the plays that come to you. That's a part of the execution, too. I want to make sure we just stay in that pocket of doing that. We'll continue to work hard at that. As we go through that's something we're going to dig into. We talked about self-scouting and we've stayed pretty consistent with that throughout, so I don't necessarily feel that as much as let's make sure the execution is right. I was very pleased that we had practice this past week where we got more shots at it. That's really how you get better. I loved the energy the guys had, even though it didn't carry over into the game for the execution, the preparation was right."Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn, on the Commanders’ offensive struggles: pic.twitter.com/z8nEMuFa3t
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 24, 2024
He's right to a certain extent. The coaches can only do so much. They're not out on the field. The players need to come through when it counts - something the Commanders haven't accomplished well enough over the last three weeks. It's night and day compared to their sensational stretch of games earlier in the campaign.
At the same time, there don't seem to be many adjustments from Kingsbury's standpoint to the things unfolding in front of him. There's more conservatism in his play-calling than ever before. Only when the Commanders were chasing the contest did things open up. That has to change as a matter of urgency in the coming days.
It's too soon to be pressing the panic button. Expectations rose exponentially after a phenomenal opening to the season. Fans are slowly coming back down to earth. It's also worth remembering that this is Year 1 of a long-term project, so things weren't going to be smooth sailing all the time.
The Commanders still have a chance at making the postseason. They might not win the NFC East, but a wildcard berth remains a realistic outcome if they can somehow get back to the form of old. This starts by assessing the current problems and correcting them efficiently.
Sounds simple, right?