Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn responds after loss vs. Falcons

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Sep 29, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn is disappointed after the team's 34-27 loss against his old Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

A visit to Quinn's old stomping grounds, where he was head coach from 2015-20, could have given the Commanders their third win of the season. Instead, they are taking the loss as a lesson.

“I'll explain what I told the team postgame. I said, ‘This stinks, and we’ve got to grow. That is a must.’ I thought, really, third down was a huge factor in the game on both sides. Us. Them. We knew third and fourth down was going to be a big piece of it," Quinn said. "But I also said that our two road games, we've started slowly, and our two home games, we haven't. We're on the road again this week, and we need to get that handled. First quarter, down 10-0. We’ve got to make sure we can get that turned around and play it fast and aggressive like we like. That's kind of where we're at.”

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Commanders must grow from loss

The Commanders are dealing with a lot of injuries, but despite all of that, they still had a chance to win. Their poor start in which they began to trail 10-0 put them in a tough hole to dig out of, but they didn't quit.

The defense couldn't get enough stops in the end, which hurt their chances of any kind of comeback, but it can give the team experience for what's coming later in the season.

With 13 games left, the Commanders still have a lot of their season in front of them, so they are not trying to dwell on the past.

The Commanders will have a chance to get back in the win column in Week 5 when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers. Kickoff is scheduled for Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.