The Washington Commanders walked off the field Monday night in disbelief. A 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears left them stunned and quiet. So, now, head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels were left explaining how a late fumble and turnovers cost them the game.

First, Quinn didn’t hold back. “I don’t like how we’ve started games,” he said. He pointed out what cost them — three turnovers (2 early and 1 late). Dan Quinn also admitted that his offense, defense, and special teams all failed to impress. However, he said the Commanders had chances to make plays, even for takeaways, but failed to capitalize.

“You really don’t deserve to win many games when you’re in that space,” he added. The space when you finish minus three in turnovers. However, what stung most was how close they were.

“Had chances for interceptions, had chances to get some, did not create any. Honestly, it didn’t perform well enough. Run game on both sides. So a lot that needs our attention. And get right back to it as we get going right against the division opponent next week, but this one stings. You have a chance even to dig yourself out and go battle for it and not get that job done.”

The Commanders led the entire fourth quarter. Then on 3rd-and-1, Daniels fumbled — just inches short of sealing the game. The Bears recovered with a little over three minutes left. From there, Chicago drove the length of the field like a team refusing to quit. Jake Moody nailed a 38-yard field goal as time expired, and that was that. A golden opportunity gone in seconds.

Quinn also talked about Jayden Daniels’ play. He said the QB handled pressure well on third downs but needed more rhythm in the run game. Missed tackles, missed reads — all added up. The QB isn’t perfect, and he proved it early on. With the end zone right in front of him, he hesitated, holding the ball too long before trying to hit Deebo Samuel. When he finally let it go, the throw came out badly, right into the hands of Jaquan Brisker for an interception.

“I just didn’t think we played well enough in any of the phases, dug ourselves out of a hole, dug ourselves into it first. But yeah, we got a lot to clean up,” Quinn added. Still, he credited the Bears for executing when it mattered most. “I thought they came in and made the plays.” Quinn, later, turned his focus to the trenches.

“I just wanted to be more physical,” Dan Quinn said about the run game. He called out the struggles of the front and the missed takeaways. “We didn’t create enough takeaways to finish minus three.” And this loss is purely on the entire team. Besides the head coach, Daniels also addressed the loss.

Jayden Daniels blames himself for the loss

The Commanders had their chances. But three turnovers — two by Daniels and one from Jacory Croskey-Merritt — flipped the game. A red-zone interception, a late fumble, and suddenly, the team watched a sure win slip away. Despite the miscues, Daniels still threw for 211 yards on 19 of 26 passes, along with three touchdowns, showing flashes of promise. But when he appeared post-game, he took the blame.

“I just lost the ball completely, my fault,” Daniels said. “I didn’t even give Bill a chance.” You could hear the frustration and disappointment in his voice. Yet, he didn’t sound defeated. Instead, he shifted his focus fast. “You hate losing, but we’ve got a short week. You can’t dwell on it forever. We’re on to Dallas.” That’s the mindset Commanders fans want from their star.

And Daniels doesn’t feel the Bears took him by surprise. “No, they just turned the ball over…..they took the ball away. You don’t win football games like that.” In addition, he applauded his offensive line for its ability to give him time to pass. “They did their job.” But for Daniels’ part, “I feel like they (Commanders’ offense) played well. They gave me time to go out there and make throws, and receivers made plays. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, I had a lack of focus that cost us the game.”

Now, the Commanders sit at 3-3. And they are yet to win two games back-to-back this season. So, now, Dan Quinn has to figure out not just how to bounce back, but how to build some momentum.