ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told WUSA9’s Chick Hernandez last week that he wanted to see his team’s identity return to the field in Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans.
Following a dominant 42-19 win over the Titans, Hernandez sat down again with the Commanders’ coach and started off their weekly conversation by asking simply, did he see what he asked for one week ago?
“I definitely felt that,” Quinn says. “The vision for our team when anybody watches us is clear. And so there's a large element of the connection. They have their brotherhood together, and there's also an element of play style, and identity, and finishing, and that type of energy that we bring. And so watching us, I felt that again. And that was at the top of the pile to me. If we took care of that first, the other things would come in order, but the effort and the physicality have to be at the top of the pile.”
It is the same message Quinn delivered when he arrived in Washington before the majority of his current players were even on the roster.
That element of play style and identity is what helped the team get off to a 7-2 start prior to stumbling during a three-game losing streak. Faced with entering their bye week on a four-game slide, the Commanders came out and firmly re-established the style of play coach Quinn’s reputation has become synonymous with.
It didn’t take long either. After the defense came out and forced the Titans into an opening drive three-and-out the offense was off the field in three plays as well. The major difference was that their third play was a 40-yard touchdown run by Brian Robinson Jr. that was so well executed at every level that the running back went untouched on the play.
“It was as well as we've blocked upfront in the run game this year for sure,” Quinn said about the play. “We knew if we hit the targets and if we could get the movement and get off the ball like we want, it would give ourself the best shot.”
Quinn credited the team’s preparation during the week for identifying a potential opening to attack, scheming it, practicing it, and of course executing it to perfection on the field.
Usually, teams with the latest bye week possible limp into it almost begging for that week to come - at least that’s how it has felt around these parts in recent years.
This Washington squad didn’t limp into its Week 14 bye week, it sprinted into it with a losing streak broken, an eighth win of the season, and four games left to put a playoff cherry on top of what has already been an incredibly memorable season.