Commanders coach demanded 'blood in the snow' before win

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Washington Commanders walked out of MetLife Stadium in Week 15 with a 29-21 victory stowed in their carry-ons after defeating the New York Giants, giving them a second-straight sweep of the division rival under head coach Dan Quinn.

More importantly, the Commanders left their eight-game losing streak behind, so that the Giants themselves could carry that baggage forward with them instead.

Even more important than both of those things is the fact that in spite of all that’s gone wrong in 2025 for Washington football, one thing continues to go right, and that is the culture and belief within the organization that they are on the right path, even if it has gotten a little rocky in this stretch.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Jordan Magee (58) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

'We Wanted Violence'

"Quinn's message today was, it was snowing earlier, so we wanted to see blood in the snow. We wanted violence. That's what we wanted,” linebacker Jordan Magee shared with the media after the game. “So we went out there and played how we wanted to play. We had turnovers, takeaways, and we did our thing."

In Quinn-speak, that’s how the Commanders wanted to get down, and that’s how they got down, on defense at least. And that message was reinforced by a visual representation of choosing violence on a frigid day in New Jersey, as linebacker Frankie Luvu was among those who opted to warm up shirtless, showing their opponents, and their teammates, that the cold weather wasn’t going to deter them from the task at hand.

Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) smiles after a play in the first half against the Detroit Lions in the NFC divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Conquering the Cold

"Pregame man, just going back to Washington State, back in Pullman, just when you first love playing football, and you just out there, it was like negative in Pullman, Washington. So I was like, man, why not bring that energy back then, my first time, and still was loving football and still is, you know what I mean? So it was just a little switch-up, and it wasn't that bad," Luvu said of the decision.

Listen. We were on the field while Luvu was warming up shirtless, and had jackets and hats on. It was ‘that bad.’ But sometimes, you have to put yourself in a mindset of conquering because of the elements, instead of fighting them. Knowing there was no warm(er) press box waiting for him, Luvu decided to own the cold and embrace the ‘blood in the snow’ approach to snapping an eight-game losing streak.

Defense Shuts the Door

Washington did just that, with a dominant first-half offense, a stifling defense, and key special-teams plays. Cornerback Mike Sainristil’s 55-yard interception and return flipped the field at a key moment of the game and gave the offense an opportunity to add points. Veteran cornerback Antonio Hamilton didn’t just step into the starting lineup for his team; he stepped up big, getting targeted plenty and making plays when he had the chance.

And the pass rush, led by Luvu and others, kept New York rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart on the run all day. Though the linebacker says he sees something special in Dart.

At the end of the game, things got a little loose for the offense, and it gave the Giants opportunities to get back into it, but the defense was able to stand up and shut the door before that happened. In a season that resulted in defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. losing his play-calling duties, that is a big deal, because it’s a sign of things that could have been, and of what could be.

For Magee, it’s what is supposed to happen, and what he wants to see himself and his teammates do again and again, as long as 2025 will allow them to.

"That's our job,” he says. “That's what we get paid to do, get takeaways, turnovers, turnover on down, and that's what we did. We went out there, and we had to stand up and make a play."

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