Dan Quinn's decision to skip the Hail Mary against the Rams reopens questions the Commanders can't keep dodging
Washington lost to Los Angeles 20-13, then kept losing in the press conference. With a Thursday night trip to first-place New York now looming, Quinn's late-game call to run a lateral play instead of a Hail Mary has hardened doubts about a 2-5-1 season that is running low on runway.
In brief
Dan Quinn skipped the Hail Mary. Now the season might be over.
Down seven, ninety-two yards from their own end zone, fifty-two seconds left on the clock. The Washington Commanders drove it all the way to the Los Angeles Rams' 31-yard line. And then, with eight seconds to play and no timeouts, they did not throw the ball at the end zone.
They threw it short. It went to tight end Chig Okonkwo. He lateraled. The ball hit the turf. The Rams recovered. Game over.
Dan Quinn faced fresh calls for his firing after Washington fell to 2-5-1 and remained third in the NFC East. The calls came during and after Sunday's 20-13 loss at Northwest Stadium, the team's fifth loss of the season, which ended with a fumble inside Rams territory in the closing seconds.
Washington had two plays from the Rams' 31 to get into the end zone. Jayden Daniels threw an incomplete pass to Stefon Diggs with eight seconds left, then went underneath to Okonkwo with three seconds to play. Los Angeles recovered a fumble to seal the win. Quinn said Washington checked down to the short throw when the Rams showed pressure. He wanted better execution on the play.
After the game, Quinn said he was "not happy with the execution of that play." That's a phrase you don't want to be repeating in a press conference when your team is 2-5-1 and staring at a Thursday night divisional game.
What actually went wrong on that last drive
Down seven, Washington took over at its own 9-yard line with 52 seconds left and drove to the Los Angeles 31, aided by a Daniels completion to Diggs and an offside penalty on the Rams. Real progress. Then it fell apart.
With 2:31 remaining at the Rams' 38-yard line, Daniels took a 12-yard sack from Myles Garrett, one of three sacks on the day for him. Quinn opted to let the clock run down to the two-minute stoppage. That burned precious seconds and created the frantic situation at the end.
After Daniels spiked the ball with nine seconds left, his deep shot to Diggs fell incomplete. With three seconds remaining, Washington completed a short pass and tried to keep the play alive with a lateral, but the ball came loose, and the Rams recovered as time expired.
Quinn told reporters: "With eight seconds left, you want two chances at something. To not have those, didn't love our execution there at the end."
Quinn explained his reasoning: the check-down option came because the Rams were disguising their blitz, leading to a pair of hopeful laterals on a play that fizzled quickly.
Fair enough in concept. But the fact Daniels didn't throw either of his final two passes into the end zone, with no timeouts, is damning.
A pattern that won't go away
The Commanders' season has been defined by late-game blunders, and they committed another in Sunday's loss. This is the same team that, earlier in the season, failed to spike the ball at the end of overtime to set up a potential game-winning field goal. Both Daniels and Quinn took responsibility for that gaffe during media availabilities following those earlier games.
The Commanders had 313 yards of offense against the Rams but were just 3-of-12 on third downs. Defensively, Washington allowed 343 yards and let the Rams go 3-of-3 on fourth downs.
Los Angeles defensive end Myles Garrett disrupted Daniels and the Commanders' offense all afternoon. Garrett's three sacks alone weren't the whole story, but they shaped every critical drive Washington tried to put together in the second half.
The Commanders are struggling with penalties. They're struggling to perform under pressure. They're struggling to play four quarters of football. And head coach Dan Quinn can't seem to find solutions.
The standings are unforgiving
Washington simply can't find a way to string together multiple wins and sits at 2-5-1. The Commanders are third in the NFC East behind the Dallas Cowboys at 4-5 and the first-place New York Giants at 5-2-1. New York now holds a three-game lead over Washington.
This season is essentially done. The Commanders are 2-5-1 and can lose all hope with a loss to the Giants on Thursday.
Washington will have to quickly shake off their latest late-game shortcoming as they prepare to face the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football in Week 10.
Quinn's job security? A source familiar with internal leadership conversations told ESPN that Quinn's job is not in immediate jeopardy and that isn't likely to change during the season. Ownership is aware of the support Quinn has in the locker room, and they want to see how the group responds, given the division appears up for grabs and several key players are returning from injury.
Owner Josh Harris's reluctance to fire coaches mid-season is documented. NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported: "The team continues finding clear that they did not lose the locker room. Josh Harris does not like firing a coach midseason. It seems like based on this effort shown on the field, Dan Quinn is going to stick around for the foreseeable future. The long-term future, still a question."
So Quinn coaches Thursday. The Commanders go to MetLife Stadium. Washington will look to avenge the tie when they take on a Giants team riding a two-game win streak and 5-2-1 record into MetLife Stadium, in what may be the final chance for the Commanders to salvage a puzzling season.
Also Sunday, the Commanders retired Hall of Famer John Riggins' No. 44 jersey at halftime, in a special halftime ceremony honoring the Super Bowl MVP. It was a genuine moment for the franchise's history. The rest of the afternoon was something else entirely.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
