Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn said quarterback Jayden Daniels should not have thrown a fourth-down pass away in the second quarter of Monday night's 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. On fourth-and-2 from the 49ers' 13-yard line, Daniels left the pocket as pressure built and ran right, pursued by two defenders, including linebacker Fred Warner. A flag was thrown in front of him, and with no open receiver he threw the ball away.
Quinn said he spoke with Daniels about the play. "Even when you know there's a penalty, you still take your shot, man, to go throw it, complete it," Quinn said. "You don't know if it's gonna get picked up." The penalty turned out to be an illegal shift on the Commanders, not an offside call on the defense that would have given Washington a first down. San Francisco declined the penalty because the pass was incomplete. Daniels said he did not know which team had been flagged.
The throwaway came one week after Daniels failed to throw the ball away with eight seconds left in overtime, a play that ended with a tackle and the clock expiring. Offensive coordinator David Blough and Quinn both took responsibility for that play call and for not simply calling for a spike.
Daniels completed 29 of 40 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns, helping Washington rally from a 20-3 halftime deficit. Quinn said he would like Daniels to scramble more and stay alive longer, but added, "He always can make some throws that just kinda leaves you thinking, 'Man, there it is.'"
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing