Quinn says he addressed fourth-down throwaway with QB Daniels — SkimNews
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- Jayden Daniels shouldn't have thrown away a fourth-down pass in the 2nd quarter of Monday night's 23-17 loss to the 49ers, coach Dan Quinn said, instructing his QB: "Even when you know there's a penalty, you still take your shot."
- On fourth-and-2 from the 49ers' 13, Daniels left the pocket under pressure from LB Fred Warner, couldn't make the first down, and threw the ball away with no open receiver — a flag had been thrown, but it was an illegal shift on Washington, which San Francisco declined because of the incompletion.
- It was the second straight week a Daniels mistake in a critical moment cost Washington points — a week earlier, with 8 seconds left in overtime he failed to throw the ball away, was tackled, and the clock expired before a potential 42-yard game-winning field goal attempt, a play Quinn and OC David Blough both publicly blamed themselves for.
- Daniels still completed 29 of 40 passes for 300 yards and two touchdowns Monday, rallying Washington from a 20-3 halftime deficit and driving deep into 49ers territory late with a chance to take the lead.
- Daniels was playing his second game wearing a brace on his left elbow, dislocated in Week 2, and rushed just 4 times for 10 yards — Quinn cited the 49ers' team speed and zone coverage with eyes on the QB as reasons he'd like the rookie to scramble more to throw rather than to run.
Why it matters: Back-to-back weeks, a Daniels mistake in a critical moment has now cost Washington points — a clock-expiration failure that erased a potential 42-yard game-winning field goal, and a fourth-down throwaway vs. the 49ers. In his second game back from a Week 2 elbow dislocation while learning a new OC's scheme, the rookie absorbed direct public coaching on his reads from his head coach.
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