ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dan Quinn’s playoff streak lives on in his first season with the Washington Commanders, which can’t be said for the fellow coaches and players he left in Dallas after three years as defensive coordinator of the Cowboys.
Quinn returns to the home of the Cowboys just shy of a year since Dallas’ stunning blowout loss to Green Bay in a wild-card playoff game at AT&T Stadium.
His Commanders (11-5) finish the regular season Sunday with postseason prep on their minds, while his former team never got a chance in 2024 to escape the malaise of that 48-32 loss to the Packers. A three-year playoff run ended in a season sidetracked early by poor play and kept off the rails by an onslaught of injuries.
Quinn took the Washington job 2 1/2 weeks after that January playoff loss, and the former Atlanta head coach now finds himself rejuvenated by dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and a couple of solid pass rushers who came with him from the Cowboys in Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler.
“I’ve honestly had a blast coaching this team because we’ve been working hard on our identity,” Quinn said. “For me to get a front-row seat at that journey and be along on that ride with them, I’ve got a lot of gratitude for it.”
The Cowboys (7-9) are headed for an offseason of uncertainty with coach Mike McCarthy on an expiring contract. After quarterback Dak Prescott’s season-ending hamstring injury, Dallas found a way to win four of five games to keep things from spiraling out of control.
The bottom line remains that in five years, McCarthy, a Super Bowl winner with Green Bay, couldn’t get the Cowboys past the divisional round of the playoffs. The same was true for the five coaches before him, going all the way back to the last of the storied franchise’s five Super Bowl titles to cap the 1995 season.
McCarthy, who won his Super Bowl with the Packers at the home of the Cowboys after the 2010 season, was asked if he had thought about Sunday’s game possibly being his last for Dallas.
“I’ll be honest with you, I go to the stadium much earlier this time in my career than I used to,” the 61-year-old said. “I won a Super Bowl in that home locker room at AT&T Stadium. So I have a very strong emotional attachment that it hits me every time I walk in there and every time I walk out. I’m not thinking about it right now, but, yeah, I’m definitely in tune with that.”
Daniels vs. Dallas
The last time these teams met, Daniels was still nursing sore ribs. He threw two interceptions in that 34-26 defeat, Washington’s third in a row.
Since then, Daniels has thrown for 13 touchdowns with just four interceptions on a four-game winning streak.
“That’s not how we wanted the first game to end, but, the stuff that happened,” Daniels said. “They got really good players over there, very talented players, and you got to go out there and be physical with them. That’s what they’re going to do with us, so it’s going to be a heavyweight match. It’s going to be a good one.”
Cowboys’ QB question
McCarthy has been coy this week about whether Trey Lance might finally get a look for the first time since he played extensively in the preseason. Cooper Rush has validated the belief in the club’s front office that he’s a solid backup to Prescott, going 4-4.
It’s highly unlikely one regular-season start would move the needle much on Dallas’ sense of wanting to bring back Lance, who arrived in a trade before last season after Lance lost the battle for the backup job in San Francisco. The 49ers moved up to get him with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 draft. The return of Lance seems like a long shot.
Either way, the Cowboys will be in the market for a backup in the offseason. Rush and Lance are on expiring contracts.
Ekeler back?
Washington running back Austin Ekeler, who was concussed on a kickoff return late against the Cowboys on Nov. 24, is on track to come off injured reserve. He could have an impact as a receiving and change-of-pace option after Brian Robinson, Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols have averaged just 2.1 yards a carry over the past three games.
“Austin is a dynamic player: obviously just the different dynamics he brings running the football, receiving out of the backfield,” Daniels said. “Other guys stepped in and filled in that role, but it’s good to get Austin back this late in the season and keep ramping up from there.”
Scoreboard watching
At the moment, Dallas’ Brandon Aubrey has the NFL record for the most field goals of at least 50 yards in one season with 14. But the race is still on. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn has 13, and Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell is still in the running with 12.
___
AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright © 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
