The past week was a difficult one for the Washington Commanders, specifically head coach Dan Quinn, offensive coordinator David Blough and quarterback Jayden Daniels. All three took turns accepting blame and taking accountability for Washington’s clock-management failures in the final minutes of last week's game against the Giants, which cost them a win.

Daniels played well against the Giants, but anyone will remember only that final minute of last week’s tie. Daniels spoke to the media last week and acknowledged it was a difficult week but a learning experience; he didn’t live up to his personal standard, and he said that type of mistake would never happen again.

After last week’s game, Daniels stood up and spoke to the team. His teammates appreciated it, and it showed tremendous leadership.

How did teammates feel Daniels handled last week? Daniels' fellow offensive captain, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, offered the following perspective.

“He handled it great,” McLaurin said. “I mean, he came in on ‘Tell the Truth Monday’ and told the truth of what that was for us and how he felt like he could have helped us in that situation, but at the end of the day, we prepare ourselves for those scenarios. We go over these types of instances time and time again, week after week. But on Sunday, it doesn’t really mean much if you don’t execute when it’s necessary, and we didn’t. So, that’s the result of what happened, and we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Here’s what McLaurin is really saying: don’t blame Quinn, Blough, or Daniels. If the Commanders’ offense hadn’t gone ice cold in the fourth quarter and the defense hadn’t made a second-half stop, the game would never have gone to overtime, and Washington would have won.

Far too often this season, the Commanders have been unable to get out of their own way. When the offense is playing well, the defense gives it right back up. When the defense is playing well, the offense can’t get anything going.

To defeat the 49ers in Week 6, Washington needs a complete game in all three phases, and that starts with Daniels.