Rich Eisen Explains Why Commanders Are ‘Not’ Firing Dan Quinn After Week 5 Blunder

The Washington Commanders have plenty of explaining to do after their bizarre finish against the New York Giants . With a chance to win the game in overtime, Washington somehow allowed the clock to expire without attempting a field goal. Dan Quinn has taken plenty of criticism since, and questions about his job security have only gotten louder.

Rich Eisen understands the frustration. He also believes anyone expecting the Commanders to fire Quinn this week is going to be disappointed.

Rich Eisen Explains Why Dan Quinn Isn't Going Anywhere

During the October 13th edition of The Rich Eisen Show , Eisen addressed the growing criticism surrounding Quinn following Washington's 1-3-1 start.

He didn't attempt to excuse what happened against New York. In fact, Eisen acknowledged that the final sequence was bad enough to warrant a conversation about whether Quinn should keep his job.

But he doesn't see Washington's ownership making that decision five games into the season.

"They're not in Week 5 telling Dan Quinn, 'We're done now," Rich Eisen said. "They're not doing that."

Eisen pointed to Quinn's accomplishments since arriving in Washington, particularly the team's run to the NFC Championship Game two seasons ago. He also noted that the Commanders have dealt with injuries at quarterback and managed to beat the defending Super Bowl champions with Marcus Mariota.

None of that makes Sunday's mistake acceptable. It does, however, explain why Eisen believes Quinn has earned more than five games to work through Washington's problems.

Eisen Admits the Mistake Was Bad Enough to Get a Coach Fired

Perhaps the most interesting part of Eisen's argument was how little he tried to defend the actual coaching decision.

"It's fireable. It's something that is so bad," Eisen said while discussing the argument for making an immediate change.

The Commanders had an opportunity to beat a division rival. Instead, they walked away with a tie because they couldn't get a field goal attempt off before time expired.

There are plenty of ways to lose a football game. Running out of time while sitting in field goal range is a particularly difficult one to explain.

Eisen questioned what Washington would accomplish by firing Quinn right now. The Commanders would have to hand the team to an interim coach, disrupt the staff, and essentially begin another transition with most of the season remaining.

Offensive coordinator David Blough is in his first season running an NFL offense. Anthony Lynn is also on the staff, but putting someone else in charge wouldn't automatically solve the team's problems.

Eisen's position wasn't that Quinn deserved a free pass. It was that firing him immediately could create an entirely different set of headaches.

Washington's Upcoming Schedule Could Decide Quinn's Future

Rich Eisen also warned that the Giants game isn't going to disappear from the conversation anytime soon.

Washington travels to San Francisco for Monday Night Football before facing Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Rams . Those games could go a long way toward determining whether the Commanders can salvage their season.

And every time Washington faces another late-game clock-management situation, Sunday's ending will come up again.

Eisen believes the mistake could become a major talking point when ownership evaluates Quinn after the season.

That's the part Quinn should be concerned about.

A single mistake probably won't cost him his job in October. But if Washington continues losing games, especially because of questionable decisions from the sideline, ownership will have a much harder time overlooking what happened against the Giants.

The Commanders have already dug themselves a sizable hole. At 1-3-1, they can't afford many more afternoons like Sunday.

Rich Eisen isn't suggesting Dan Quinn should feel comfortable about his future in Washington. He's simply separating what the Commanders could do from what they're likely to do. There's a difference between believing a coaching mistake deserves consequences and deciding to replace a head coach before the season reaches its midpoint.

Quinn still has time to change the conversation, although the upcoming schedule won't make that easy. Another embarrassing finish could make the calls for his dismissal considerably louder. For now, Eisen believes Washington will stick with its coach and see whether he can turn things around.