The Washington Commanders are 1-4-1 as they return from their bye week, and a critical test awaits over the next two months. The NFC East is winnable, and so is the schedule for head coach Dan Quinn's group.
If Washington can't capitalize, it's curtains for the man behind the bench. And as the Commanders look to build some momentum, it's going to require kicking some old habits.
When the Commanders hired Quinn in 2024, he was supposed to change their culture. But after the fleeting success in Year 1, the team has seeped back into the losing mentality of the Dan Snyder era.
Commanders need less talk and more action when it comes to playing motivated football
And that cannot continue.
Local team pundit Chris Russell of The Team 980 went off on the Commanders' culture this week, calling it too soft and comfortable. And he's got a point.
Chris Russell says the Commanders culture is too soft and comfortable pic.twitter.com/M54k3iuUXe
— The Team 980 (@team980) October 26, 2026
The Commanders' undoing this season has been their inability to put together a full 60 minutes of good, disciplined football.
They've had multiple games where they looked great in the first half and fallen apart in the second. Last week on Monday Night Football, it was the opposite as they only woke up in the third quarter against the San Francisco 49ers.
For Quinn, hired to light a fire under his squad, it's becoming a damning indictment. He brings a passionate vibe to the locker room, but discipline has not been the Commanders' strong suit.
When you're winning, everyone feeds off the energy a coach like Quinn brings. But the Commanders aren't winning. If they're ever going to prove the culture can truly change, now is the time.
Dan Quinn must rein in his locker room, even if it means teaching some harsh lessons
If Quinn is going to save his job, he needs to be a little bit meaner.
He can't afford to let underperforming players keep underperforming. He can't afford to be so forgiving of mental mistakes. He needs to set a no-nonsense standard and hand out consequences when they don't meet it.
Quinn believes in his guys, and they believe in him. But maybe it's not all for the right reasons.
Maybe it's because they aren't challenged enough or held accountable. And maybe a little bit of tough love would go a long way.
Quinn can own the Commanders' mistakes and promise to fix them all he wants. But until we see otherwise, the performance on the field tells a different story.
Washington hired Quinn to energize his locker room. And he did it once, when there was no pressure and no expectations.
Now, with who knows how many weeks of chances he has left, he'll need to do it again.
Add us as a preferred source on Google