In Week 3, Washington Commanders coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Marcus Mariota shared a painful moment, at least for Quinn. Just before halftime in last week’s win over the Raiders, Mariota was trying to get the Commanders in position for a field goal before halftime. As Mariota got to the sideline to stop the clock, he accidentally ran over Quinn, bloodying his nose.
Quinn laughed it off. Mariota felt horrible, but the rest of Washington’s players shared their mutual respect and admiration for their head coach.
Last week is in the past. On Friday, Quinn officially announced that Mariota would start his second consecutive game on Sunday, as Jayden Daniels is still recovering from a sprained knee. Washington’s opponent on Sunday: the Atlanta Falcons.
This is a big game for Mariota and Quinn. Sure, both are humble and will politely discuss their past with the Falcons in pleasant terms. Quinn, who coached Atlanta from 2015 until five games into the 2020 season, took the Falcons to the Super Bowl. Earlier this week, he downplayed his return to Atlanta.
“Well, it’s not like a return to one,” Quinn said. “We’ve played them last year and other times before [in Dallas], but always have like huge gratitude for [Falcons Owner and Chairman] Arthur Blank, his family, and you know, giving me the opportunity to do that. But past that, it is for the guys and in between the white lines, so we’ll be ready to battle too.”
Quinn means everything he says. But while he won’t admit it, this one would be a little more special. He is a competitor after all.
For Mariota, this one is personal. He played for the Falcons in 2022, starting 13 games for a bad team. Late in the year, the Falcons, already out of playoff contention, wanted to see rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder play. That was communicated to Mariota, who understood. At the same time, Mariota was dealing with a knee injury and also had some big personal news: he was expecting his first child. So, he opted for season-ending knee surgery and a narrative developed that Mariota had quit on the team.
It didn’t sit right with him. If you hear any teammate talk about Mariota, you’d know he’s the model teammate. He later spoke about his departure from the Falcons.
“I don’t know why it had to be that narrative,” Mariota said via CBS in 2023. “I gave everything I had for this team. I thought I was making a good decision for everybody. … Ultimately, we decided that getting my knee fixed was in the best interest. I came home, got my knee fixed and [have] been in Vegas.”
Even former Atlanta coach Arthur Smith came to Mariota’s defense regarding the “quit on his teammates” narrative.
Mariota is too much of a professional and a nice guy to say that a win in Atlanta would be special. You can bet the Commanders want this one for Quinn and Mariota. So, while the Falcons have a completely new regime since Mariota’s lone season there, he’ll not soon forget how some tried to tarnish his reputation.