Dan Quinn Explains Decision Behind Commanders' Fourth Down Aggression

The Washington Commanders are headed to the Divisional Round to take on the Detroit Lions -- the No. 1-seeded NFC East team -- after taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to cap off Wild Card Weekend.
The game was quite close, coming down to a final field goal from Zane Gonzalez to give Washington a 23-20 lead over Tampa Bay with time expiring. It was the team's first playoff victory since 2005, which was also against the Buccaneers.
While the game came down to one final field goal, it was many aggressive attempts on fourth down and overall execution that positioned them to nail the final play with time expiring. On five different occassions, the Commanders attempted a fourth down conversion, converting on three of those plays.
After the game, head coach Dan Quinn was asked about the fourth down persistence despite one early failure.
"It's two-fold. It is something we practice a lot. It's something that is part of our game. A lot has to do with No. 5 (Jayden Daniels). And sometimes he can make a play that takes place that was not the huddle call by using his legs and doing that," Quinn explained. "Today, early on, we got stopped, I believe, on our first one -- not certain of that -- but I wasn't going to stop us in that spot."
Having a star like Daniels under center -- who won his first playoff game as a rookie -- is a massive advantage. He can make plays out of nothing with his legs and rushing ability. Still, the Commanders have to be calculated when making such a call.
"We were going to be bold but not reckless," Quinn continued. "And I think that's who we are the whole season. But when you do get stopped early, you just have to stay the course knowing that, ‘Hey, keep your chin tucked and keep swinging,’ knowing that this is going to be a game that's going to go all the way down to the end."
The Commanders are now set to take on the Lions, who lost just two games this season, as they look to extend their incredible season beyond the Divisional Round.
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