Commanders Players Share Thoughts on Fourth Down Decision vs. Eagles

There's a lot of talk about the failed fourth down play the Washington Commanders tried against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. The players chimed in as well.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is chased boy Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) and safety Reed Blankenship (32) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

There are moments in every game when coaches like Dan Quinn have to make key decisions that will ultimately lead to victory or defeat for teams like the Washington Commanders.

When those decisions go well coaches are often referred to as geniuses. But when they go wrong, well, the burden of blame is also placed just as heavily on the head coach. That has been the case since the Commanders coach bypassed a potential lead-changing field goal to go for a fourth down try late in the team's loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11.

"Didn’t love the execution, but we’ve been an excellent fourth down team," the Washington coach said about the play. "So going into it, we knew we would have to take our shots against a tough division team on the road. We thought that was an appropriate one."

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is chased boy Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (53) and safety Reed Blankenship (32) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Plenty of people disagreed with the call when it was made, and continue to share their disagreement with it after the fact. Of course, some are taking advantage of the benefit of hindsight that Quinn doesn't get, but his players are not among them.

“I trust the coaching staff and the decision they made. I’m always a part of, ‘Hey, let’s go for it,'" Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels said about the decision after the game. "I trust my teammates. I trust the unit. So, I always trust the coaches. I never question them.”

"I mean we've been doing that all season," Washington receiver Terry McLaurin said about the call. "Coach Quinn said we're going to be aggressive and we just didn't execute the play so you got to give credit to their defense, but we've been aggressive all year so it wasn't a shock."

Receiver Noah Brown and others also voiced support of the decision, coming as no surprise given most player's tendencies toward wanting the ball in their hands in the most critical moments of any game.

With this group, however, there's an even deeper sense of togetherness, so hearing the players supporting the coach that has dones so much to do the same for them is no surprise.

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