Dan Quinn disappointed but not discouraged by Commanders' OT loss

"I hate the outcome, but I do love the fight," that is what Dan Quinn first said to former Washington linebacker London Fletcher following Sunday's loss to Denver.

Washington had just taken the 10-2 Broncos to overtime at Northwest Stadium Sunday night, but lost 27-26. With 2:50 remaining, Marcus Mariota watched Deebo Samuel set a nice rub route, opening Terry McLaurin for a three-yard touchdown. The score brought Washington to within 27-26, and Quinn determined the Commanders would attempt to win the game with a two-point play.

The play sent in by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was there, as Jeremy McNichols was open; however, the Broncos had a pass rusher (Nik Bonitto) come free, and he leaped and deflected Mariota's pass, giving Denver the victory.

Quinn wanted to win and made that clear, but did say, "That is the standard we want", alluding to effort and team play. "I was certainly proud of the performance", as the Commanders for the second consecutive game were at least competitive, where that wasn't the case in four consecutive losses earlier.

The head coach said he saw his guys out there "emptying the bucket," and "putting it all on the line" for the team, and that is what he preaches and wants to see. He referred to the "mindset of how to compete, how to battle, I thought that was strong."

In the fourth quarter, the Commanders' defense seemed to really step up as the Broncos' four possessions ended with an interception, a punt, a punt, and a final punt. Quinn liked the third-down stops in the fourth quarter, but regretted the big Broncos play in overtime.

He was right: in overtime, the defense could not make stops, as the Broncos needed only five plays to travel 76 yards for the winning touchdown. On the drive, Denver had a 12-yard pass, a 12-yard pass, a 41-yard pass, a 6-yard pass, and a 5-yard touchdown run.

But Quinn did close his interview immediately following the game, praising the play of Terry McLaurin. He expressed that he could see and enjoyed Terry's playmaking ability and the route-running McLaurin brings to the Commanders' offense. Indeed, McLaurin contributed 96 receiving yards on seven receptions, playing for the first time since the Kansas City loss.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn proud of effort in tough loss