Commanders coach Dan Quinn explains what happened on clock mishap in OT vs. Giants
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn took the blame for a botched clock-management situation in overtime of a 27-27 tie with the New York Giants. With time winding down, Jayden Daniels took a second-and-eight snap within field-goal range and — with no timeouts — scrambled with the football and went down.
The Commanders didn’t have time to get to the line and spike the ball, and the game was over.
“The sequencing of that does not fall on him. It’s an outside throw or a clock,” Quinn said. “Those are the two — out of bounds throw or a clock. If it has to come from me, I don’t have to put him into that spot. I can do that earlier, and we can finish the kick early, we don’t need to gain more yards. So, that’s on me.”
The Commanders moved to 1-3-1 on the season with the result. It came a week after a 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.
Daniels had a fantastic rookie season in 2024, putting the Commanders one win shy of a Super Bowl appearance. Since then, it’s been a struggle. He played in just seven games in 2025 due to injury. He’d already missed back-to-back games in 2026 with a dislocated elbow.
Sunday’s events have further added to the frustration surrounding the team. After a 12-5 regular-season mark in 2024, the Commanders are now 6-15-1 in their last 22 games.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
