The San Francisco 49ers held off the Washington Commanders 23-17 on Monday night, a result overshadowed afterward by another confusing situational mistake from the visiting team.
Early in the second quarter, with Washington facing fourth-and-2 from the 49ers’ 13-yard line, quarterback Jayden Daniels threw the ball away instead of trying to get it to a receiver, a decision that would end Washington’s drive either way since it was already fourth down.
ESPN’s broadcast showed Commanders coach Dan Quinn appearing to say, “Oh, that was 4th down,” along with some profanity, a moment that online lip readers seized on as evidence the coaching staff had lost track of the down.
Quinn pushed back on that interpretation when asked about it after the game.
“I definitely knew it was fourth down,” Quinn told reporters.
Daniels also faced questions about the play afterward.
“I just gotta execute better in that situation, regardless of a flag or not,” Daniels said. “Fourth down … don’t die with the ball, so I have to be better in that spot.”
Daniels appeared to be referencing a flag thrown on the play that he may have believed was for a defensive offside, which would have given Washington an automatic first down. Instead, officials had flagged Commanders running back Rachaad White for an illegal shift while Washington trailed 13-3. The 49ers declined the penalty.
The miscue is the latest in a string of game-management problems for Washington. A week earlier, the Commanders mishandled the clock in overtime of a tie game against the Giants, running a quarterback keeper with no timeouts and less than 10 seconds left despite having a first down in field goal range and more than 50 seconds remaining. The clock ran out, turning a potential win into a tie.
Monday’s loss drops Washington to 1-4-1 as it heads into its bye week. The Commanders are scheduled to return to action in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
