In Week 8, the Washington Commanders fell 28-7, and it wasn’t just the score that stung; it was the missed chances. The Commanders kept things close in the first half, but when it mattered most, the urgency faded. Those early takeaways meant nothing without points, and Dan Quinn knew it.

“I saw and felt that from the moment we stepped on the field… man, did we leave a lot of opportunities out there tonight,” Quinn said after the game.

“Not capitalizing on the turnovers. Not winning our fourth downs. They did. It was great to see us getting some of the takeaways… But, leaving here, you cannot leave that many opportunities out there and walk away from this place with a win. And, like the intensity of the first half, I just thought that the opportunities for us to make our mark, and we didn’t,”

Still, that bold approach wasn’t enough to slow down the Kansas City Chiefs. Washington’s defense forced turnovers on Kansas City’s first two drives, but then it unraveled. Patrick Mahomes picked them apart. The Chiefs rushed for 148 yards, converted both fourth-down tries, and were perfect in the red zone: 4 for 4. By the time the dust settled, they’d racked up 432 total yards.

Things only got worse on special teams. Jaylin Lane muffed a kickoff return right after a Chiefs touchdown, pushing the Commanders’ offense back to their own 2-yard line. One punt later, Kansas City punched in another quick score. Just like that, Washington found itself in a two-score hole it couldn’t climb out of.

Now the Commanders sit third in the NFC East and 13th in the conference. There’s still time, six division games left, to be exact, but the road won’t be easy. However, Dan Quinn has a blunt message for the locker room, too.

Dan Quinn’s message for the Commanders team

With several key players sidelined, Washington’s chances of shocking the Chiefs looked slim from the start. Still, for a while, it didn’t feel that way inside Arrowhead Stadium. The first half ended tied at 7, and the Commanders’ defense looked sharper than it has in weeks. Credit goes to Dan Quinn for schematic tweaks. But while the defense forced two interceptions from Patrick Mahomes, the offense couldn’t finish drives. If they had, Washington might have taken the lead into halftime and changed the story entirely.

But then came the second half, and everything unraveled. Those missed chances early turned into momentum for the Chiefs. Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce found the end zone as Mahomes started carving up the field in the third quarter. Then Rashee Rice sealed it with another score in the fourth.

“You cannot leave that many chances out there and expect to win, especially against this team,” Quinn said. “I liked the intensity of the first half. I just thought the opportunities for us to make our mark, we didn’t nail those.”

Now it’s crunch time for the Commanders. The next two weeks, they will take on Seattle and Detroit. After that, a trip overseas to face Miami in Madrid before the Week 12 bye. So, Washington needs wins, and fast, if it wants to stay in the playoff fight.