The Washington Commanders' Christmas matchup against the Dallas Cowboys had little meaning outside of taking another step toward finalizing the draft order in April, although you wouldn't have guessed it based on how the Commanders approached the game.
"That's just been who we are as a group," Terry McLaurin said following the 30-23 loss to the Cowboys. "This is a group that's gonna play for four or five quarters."
The Commanders, who were eliminated from playoff contention earlier in December, are currently seventh in the draft order and could move up as high as second if they lose in Week 18 against the Philadelphia Eagles and other teams ahead of them win their final games. The Commanders, however, aren't looking forward to what could happen in the offseason. Just as they have done since they were officially eliminated, they are playing to win and end the year on a positive note.
"It's just not part of our philosophy," Quinn said when asked about resting starters this weekend.
Since Quinn and general manager Adam Peters joined the franchise almost two years ago, the Commanders have established a culture that revolves around competition and self-improvement, regardless of the external circumstances. Aside from the 31-0 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, the Commanders stayed competitive in the second half of the season. They forced overtime in back-to-back weeks against the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos, the latter of which was in contention for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They also held a 10-7 halftime lead in their first matchup with Philadelphia.
Last week's game against the Cowboys presented bigger challenges, as the Commanders were down to third-string quarterback Josh Johnson without starters Laremy Tunsil and Sam Cosmi. Still, the Commanders fought back from a 21-3 deficit and had two opportunities to tie the score in the fourth quarter. Quinn made the point after the game and on Monday that he wanted to see better execution, but he did like how the team fought for the entire game.
"I wasn't surprised we fought back," Quinn said. "That was what I wanted to get across to them. [I] Love our fight, but the execution just isn't to the standard that it needs to be to win the games."
Washington's players also know that their performance hasn't been up to the team's standards. After all, the Commanders have lost 10 of their last 11 games, five of which featured deficits of at least 20 points. It's made for a dramatic swing from what the Commanders experienced this time last season, when they were on the cusp of winning 12 games and getting into the postseason.
But the players aren't letting that circumstances affect their approach to the game. They still have a job to do, and that means they're playing for a victory.
"You have a shot to go beat somebody," Allegretti said. "They got 53 guys over there that are paid well to play well and win this game. It's hard, but just realizing that you're still living your dream."
The Commanders also want to live up to the standards they set for themselves, and that means approaching every game with winning aspirations.
"That's nothing that we ever concern ourselves with," McLaurin said. "We know we're gonna fight. It's just fighting isn't enough. We've gotta execute at a higher level."
As for getting a better look at their younger players, the Commanders have a standard for that as well, even in games that have little to no postseason ramifications. They have shown they are open to getting their rookies or second-year players on the field, as has been the case with Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Johnny Newton and others. Many have shown they are ready for the challenge; Newton had three sacks against the Cowboys, while Croskey-Merritt scored two touchdowns that put him up to eight for the season (that number leads all rookie running backs this season).
But the Commanders aren't going to simply hand out more snaps to players. They have to prove they are ready for them.
"I think when you earn more, that's fair to say the space for more playing time, more opportunities to go and featuring those guys in spaces," Quinn said. "Sometimes it's not even as much the extended playing as it is...part of a first part of a progression featured in some certain down and distances."
Resting starters is also something that hasn't come up in internal discussion.
"Not something we're considering," Quinn said. "Health definitely factors in with all the guys. But if the guys are healthy and they can play and do the things they need to, then that would be one. But it definitely factors in, but not on the healthy player
Although there are certain perceived benefits that could come with losing Sunday's game, the Commanders aren't concerned with that. They view the finale against the Eagles as another opportunity to improve. They'll worry about everything else when they reach that point.
"Obviously, this game doesn't have the magnitude that we hoped it would have when the schedule came out," Quinn said. "But at the same time, we also recognize it's a really important opportunity for a lot on our roster. And so, we don't take that lightly."
