Why 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan has Struggled vs. Commanders HC Dan Quinn

They know each other quite well.

Oct 11, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledges 49ers fans in the crowd while walking off the field after defeating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After their defeat to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, the careers of then Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and head coach Dan Quinn have gone in rather different directions. 

Now in his tenth season as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Shanahan has led his team to two NFC West titles, four NFC championship games and two Super Bowl appearances. 

But for Quinn, the defensive-minded coach has had to go through the NFL coaching cycle. He was fired as Falcons head coach midway through the 2020 regular season. His Atlanta squad started out 0-5 and now 49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris was named the interim head coach after Quinn was let go. 

Quinn found his next role quickly, spending the next three seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys and being voted the Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021. Prior to Shanahan and the 49ers taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, Quinn was named head coach of the Washington Commanders. 

“I’m so pumped for Dan, I’m so pumped for Washington,” Shanahan said at Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night. “Dan’s a hell of a coach, they got a hell of a one… Dan taught me so much in Atlanta, I’m very grateful for how much he’s helped my career…”

Shanahan’s tenure alongside Quinn in Atlanta lasted just two years but it catapulted his coaching career following their Super Bowl run and directing Matt Ryan to a Most Valuable Player award in 2016.

The Week 6 matchup between Washington and San Francisco will be the fifth time that the two will square off since their split and the first since Quinn has been the head coach of the Commanders.

Here is a recap of the prior four games: 

2019 Week 15, Falcons 29-22 win vs. San Francisco

Quinn’s lone win came in their first-ever meeting. Already eliminated from playoff contention, the Falcons put up 19 points in the fourth quarter and outscored the 49ers by ten to steal a win. 

The Atlanta defense forced four fumbles but only two were recovered. George Kittle had 13 catches on 17 targets for 134 yards.  

Despite the loss, the 49ers still clinched a playoff spot after the Los Angeles Rams loss to the Cowboys. Julio Jones’ 5-yard goal-line touchdown to give Atlanta a one-point lead with two seconds left has been forgotten thanks to Dre Greenlaw’s goal-line stop of Jacob Hollister in Week 17.

2021 NFC Wild Card, 49ers 23-17 win vs. Dallas

Shanahan got his revenge, ending Quinn and his seventh-ranked defense in the 2021 NFC Wild Card. Deebo Samuel was in the midst of the best four-game stretch of his career, accounting for 110 yards on 13 touches. Samuel’s 26-yard touchdown run following a K’Waun Williams interception of Dak Prescott proved to be the game-winner. 

On offense, Jimmy Garoppolo finished with 172 passing yards, but Shanahan ultimately took the ball out of his hands with the running game finishing with 169 yards on 38 attempts. 

A late comeback from Dallas was not enough as time ran out on the final possession of the game, similar to Jayden Daniels this past week for Washington in overtime. 

2022 NFC Divisional, 49ers 19-12 win vs. Dallas

The two met again in the playoff for a second straight year, and again it was Shanahan coming out on top. With Brock Purdy now at quarterback, San Francisco didn’t find the end zone until the first play of the fourth quarter, which was a 2-yard run by Christian McCaffrey.

Quinn’s defense generated two sacks, but San Francisco’s two interceptions off Prescott flipped things as one resulted in a Robbie Gould field goal and one ended a Dallas drive that reached the red zone. 

2023 Week 5, 49ers 42-10 win vs. Dallas

Shanahan’s best performance against his former fellow coach came in a Sunday night thumping. 

Purdy threw for four touchdowns, finding Kittle for three of them. McCaffrey was bottled up on the ground, averaging just 2.7 yards on 19 carries. He did rush for a touchdown, as did his backup, Jordan Mason, who finished with 69 yards on 10 carries. 

The result put the 49ers at 5-0, tied with the Eagles for the best record in the NFC. 

In the four games against Quinn, Shanahan and his offense is averaging 26.5 points and 346.7 yards per game. While a majority of this came against a Dallas defense that boasted Trevon Diggs, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, Shanahan has shown that no matter the defensive playmakers that Quinn has at his disposal, he can still move the ball and find the end zone.

Quinn, alongside defensive coordinator and playcaller Daronte Jones, has yet to find their footing so far in 2026, ranking 23rd in total defense (350.4 yds/g) throughout the first five weeks of the regular season. 

Shanahan has the 49ers offense ranked ninth in total offense (365 yds/g), but as the team is down multiple wide receivers heading into Monday night’s showdown, we’ll have to see if the 49ers head coach can find similar success against the man he shared two seasons with on the sideline.