10 Commanders Quotes Show Washington’s Close Losses No Longer Count as Progress

The Washington Commanders have spent a lot of time talking about how close they are. The 20–13 loss to the Rams left them at 2-5-1, three games behind the New York Giants. After a 27–27 tie in their first meeting, Thursday’s rematch can cut that gap to two games or stretch it to four.

Jayden Daniels called it a must win after Sunday's loss. Dan Quinn has avoided that label, but by Wednesday he had little patience left for explanations about new coaches and changing personnel. Lucas Patrick is out, Nick Allegretti is back at center, and the Giants' blitz awaits them again. The week's answers keep coming back to what Washington has to execute: finishing drives, protecting Daniels, defending the Giants' playmakers and getting the late-game details right.

From Sunday's postgame interviews through Wednesday's final practice, these 10 quotes show what the Commanders are taking into the Giants game.

10. Mike Sainristil — “Keeping a roof on our coverage”

Question: How can Washington keep Malik Nabers from beating the secondary deep without letting him pile up yards underneath?

“I think that's just—it starts with knocking the run game out, putting them in situations where we know they have to pass the ball. And then, depending on whatever coverage we're taking, understanding what's going to stress our coverage out based off of their concepts, making sure we're all in the right spots. And then from there, just making sure we're tackling him. He's very good with the ball in his hand. He's very elusive, kind of like a running back a little bit. So just being able to get him down when he does have the ball, and of course stay over top, keeping a roof on our coverage.”

9. Austin Ekeler — “You feel the weight of the NFL all the time”

Question: Does the possibility of moving two games behind the Giants with a win or four behind with a loss add pressure this week?

“You feel the weight of the NFL all the time, right? There's always pressure from, first, a personal standpoint. We have to individually play well and then from a team standpoint. And then you throw media on top and all that, too. Like, there's always pressure from every direction, as you can see. People in contract years, all these little factors that play into it. So no matter what, we're going to have the most pressure on us.”

8. Dan Quinn — “We've added some extra repetitions for red zone”

Question: What has Washington changed to turn red-zone trips into touchdowns instead of field goals?

“It's one of the keys that we talked about today, the importance of that, of scoring into the red zone and not having to settle for field goals. So different locations on the red zone, like where shot plays take place compared to crossing ones when you get closer to the goal line, knowing you don't have the distance to go. So having plans to, this is against man-to-man, this is against zone. The decision-making process happens quickly. So how do you recognize what you're seeing and then go attack it? That's what we're working hard on. We've added some extra repetitions for red zone over the last, well now going into the second week of that. That's one of the adjustments that we're making, put the time and the attention on it.”

7. Jayden Daniels — “Stuff I really do like, he'll call”

Question: How do Daniels' suggestions to offensive coordinator David Blough show up in the plays Washington runs on game day?

“I think just stuff I don't like throughout the week, he'll take out. Stuff I really do like, he'll call and things like that. So I think that's really where it's shown. And like I say, he's still growing as a coordinator, first-time coordinator, still going through his growing pains and stuff like that. So I just try to do the best I can, just go out there, execute. Doesn't matter what the play call is. It doesn't matter anything. If we got all 11 people going in the same direction, we have a chance.”

6. Sam Cosmi — “I still have trust in Nick”

Question: With Allegretti returning to center, what challenges come with another switch in the middle of the offensive line?

“Yeah, I mean, little nuances and stuff like that, but I still have trust in Nick. We have a really good relationship, and so from that standpoint, I'm comfortable playing next to him.”

5. Jayden Daniels — “Next week is a must win”

Question: After Sunday's Rams loss, how urgent is it to turn the season around against New York?

“Yeah. I think next week is a must win.”

4. Dan Quinn — “No excuses on that part”

Question: How much do a new coordinator, new system and personnel changes explain Washington's late-game failures?

“I'd say we're all frustrated. We wanna get to the bottom of that and get the things correct that we want. So I'd say our time on task, there might be new people. Some of the situations, they're not that different and familiar. So we've got to be able to nail these, honestly. That's where we are at the halfway point. And so no excuses on that part. This is part of the gig and how we have to get it done, and we have to get these done.”

3. Chig Okonkwo — “Definitely urgency”

Question: What's the difference between playing with urgency and playing desperately?

“Desperate is like you're just hoping. You're just hoping. I mean, urgent, like you have a plan ... We need to accomplish it now versus desperate is like, ‘All right, guys, let's just hope. Let's just see what we can do.’ We're not in that stage right now. So definitely urgency.”

2. Nick Allegretti — “You don't really ever work on the mental health side of things”

Question: Why has Allegretti spoken openly about working with mental-health coaches while dealing with injuries and moving in and out of the lineup?

“Just because of how much it helped me. It's one of those things that, as men, we're lulled into this, ‘Don't talk about it. Handle your things yourself.’ And I tried for a long time and I got to a point where it was too much for me. And I'll say probably one of the reasons that I handled the day-to-day here well when I'm not playing is just all the people that were here for me, helped me get the help that I needed. Not just in the locker room, but some coaches, staff members really went out of their way to make sure I was right.

“It's a process, obviously. Still working weekly with that, but it's something that in life I never thought I would need to work on. You lift weights, you recover, you work on the football, you watch film, you do all this stuff, but you don't really ever work on the mental health side of things. So really proud of myself and appreciative of my teammates that encouraged me to take that step. Appreciate you asking.”

1. K'Lavon Chaisson — “What's the point of being close?”

Question: At what point does saying the Commanders are close to a complete game stop being enough?

“I mean, now, right? I mean, what's the point of being close? We eight games in, so either you figure it out or you going to continuously find yourself in the same position having these same conversations, trying to get the same results. So figure it out now. ... It's not time to be trying to figure out, ‘Oh, we're almost there. Almost there. Almost there.’ Either you're there or you're not.”

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