Did Dan Quinn wait too long to try and save the defense?

Washington’s performance against the Denver Broncos felt like we had finally returned to some sense of normalcy. Not from a win or loss perspective, but the Marcus Mariota-led offense posted 419 yards of total offense against the fifth-best offense in the NFL. Washington rushed for 143 yards and converted on 47 percent of the 17 third downs that they faced. In Terry McLaurin’s return to the lineup, he and Zach Ertz took over the game at times, resembling the 2024 games that they had together. Not to mention, Deebo Samuel, who finished the game strong with 64 yards on five receptions, after a slow start.

There are no moral victories whatsoever, but the satisfaction in the offense’s performance stems from months spent unable to see the true potential of that unit because injuries kept its best players off the field at the same time. Former first-round pick Treylon Burks made his presence felt in the red zone. The 25-year-old receiver has five games left to make an argument to Dan Quinn and Adam Peters that he is very much capable of being a solid contributor beyond 2025, so long as he is healthy.

One central question some have after two weeks of Dan Quinn in the defensive coordinator role is what things might have looked like had he been in charge from the early weeks of the season? At this point, they are decimated by injury. It is hard to say, given the current state of the team, if they could have been statistically better than what they are. They still allowed over 400 yards of offense, as Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw for over 300 yards for the second time this season. However, the defense is clearly playing faster and executing better. Quinn seems to have a feel for situational football in his play-calling, forcing offenses to play right into his defense’s hands.

If you search for truth inside the locker room, I am sure the players won’t acknowledge the drastic change in their intensity over the past couple of weeks. However, for fans and media in a lost season, it is certainly hard not to think about what could have been had Quinn had more time with the defense in the enlarged role he currently has overseeing the defense.

You can listen to the full Trap or Dive post game recap below. We discussed:

• Treylon Burks goes viral

• Terry McLaurin makes a difference in his return

• Lack of pass rush lead to Bronco’s explosives

• Chris Rodriguez is a spark plug

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