Von Miller refused, not surprisingly, to publicly point a finger at Dan Quinn and his staff to explain what has gone wrong for the Washington Commanders during this failure of a season.
“What’s going on is definitely not on the coaches. They have us super prepared," Miller said. "We’re physically prepared, mentally prepared, emotionally prepared. DQ does a great job of keeping the morale going and holding on to the standard that we set. I’m not sure where the disconnect is.”
No one seemed prepared to explain what they think the biggest problems — and possible solutions — are for the Commanders after their latest embarrassing performance, a 44-22 home loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. That dropped Washington's record to 3-7 entering next weekend's game in Spain against the Miami Dolphins and extended the Commanders' losing streak to five games.
They're historically bad at the moment: Each of the past four defeats was by at least 21 points, the longest such skid within a single season by any NFL team since the 2002 Cardinals. No club has dropped five in a row by 21 or more — the record — since the 1965 Steelers.
“I don’t know what to say,” was how linebacker Frankie Luvu put it.
Quinn did make a move Monday in a bid to improve the defense, at least, by giving himself the defensive coordinator duties that have been the responsibility of Joe Whitt Jr.
“When something’s not working, we shift from the question of: ‘Why isn’t it working?’ To: ‘What do we need to do to get right?’” Quinn said.
The truth is there's plenty of blame to go around for this implosion one season after AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels led the Commanders to a 12-5 record in the regular season and their first appearance in the NFC title game in more than three decades.
It hasn't helped that Daniels has missed four games because of injuries, including the debacle against Detroit, and will not be available to face Miami, either, as he recovers from a dislocated left elbow. Plenty of other players, including No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin, have missed time, too; McLaurin won't play Sunday.
But every NFL team has to deal with injuries. It's rare that a defense looks as unprofessional as the unit that Quinn and Whitt were responsible for preparing and GM Adam Peters assembled.
“We got a lot of things to fix,” Quinn said Sunday night. “We all are baffled, frustrated, all of that.”
Hard to find any silver linings or much that is positive at all with this group currently.
The players' composure. DT Daron Payne, ironically one of the three captains announced by Quinn for the game against Detroit, was suspended by the NFL on Monday for one game without pay after punching Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown during the first half. Payne was ejected for that. On the next play, another defensive lineman, Javon Kinlaw, drew his own unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. “We’ve got to find a way to channel our frustration better or different than that — penalties or in actions that hurt our team," Quinn said.
QB Marcus Mariota. Daniels' backup played fine, completing 16 of 22 passes for 213 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers. (Mariota also had another failed attempt at hurdling a defender.) Washington's offense was not particularly impressive, but it sure was nowhere close to as bad as the defense.
Too many choices for this category, from Peters to Quinn to Whitt to various players up and down the roster, especially if one is comparing this season's Commanders to last season's version. It's not just one play or one series or even one quarter. They just are not even close to competitive, game after game. “At the end of the day, in order to get things going in the right direction, you have to be transparent, you have to be honest,” Mariota said. “And I don’t think we are who we think we are.”
CB Trey Amos, a rookie second-round draft pick, fractured his fibula Sunday, Quinn said.
Zero — That is how many of the Lions' first eight possessions failed to produce a touchdown or field goal. It's also the number of sacks Washington's defense registered.
Here's how bad things are for the Commanders: They are neutral-site underdogs against a bad Dolphins team next Sunday in Madrid. Miami (3-7) is favored by 2 1/2 points, according to BetMGM Sportsbook. The good news for Quinn and Co.? They can't possibly lose the following week ... because that's when the Commanders get their bye.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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