Commanders coach Dan Quinn bloodied in sideline collision with Marcus Mariota

Commanders QB Marcus Mariota runs over HC Dan Quinn.

Chris Myers and Mark Schlereth with the Raiders-Commanders call for Fox. 锔�

鈥� Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing)

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) 鈥� A clear bandage covered the cut on the bridge of coach Dan Quinn’s nose, and blood stained his nostrils and his goatee’s white whiskers 鈥� remnants of a sideline collision with his quarterback, Marcus Mariota, late in the first half of Sunday’s .

鈥淲e all had a good laugh about it, for sure,鈥� said Quinn, who said he was evaluated by doctors and did not need stitches.

What did it feel like to get slammed into by a 6-foot-4, 222-pound NFL player running with a head of steam?

鈥淧robably like you鈥檇 expect,鈥� Quinn said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 want it to happen.鈥�

The play that left Quinn’s face looking more like it belonged to an athlete than a coach came with less than 10 seconds left in the second quarter. Mariota got shoved out of bounds at the end of a short run and slammed into Quinn, who fell backward and slammed the back of his head on the ground.

Several players rushed over to check on Quinn.

鈥淚 felt so bad. I was trying to hold him up as much as I could. But he bounced up like champ,鈥� said Mariota, who made his first NFL start since 2022, replacing the injured Jayden Daniels.

鈥淗e went into the training room (at halftime) and got bandaged up,鈥� said Mariota, who dusted off his coach with a towel, 鈥渁nd was like, 鈥楢ll right. Let鈥檚 keep going.鈥� I think that鈥檚 what really kind of got the guys going.鈥�

Quinn wiped blood from his face as he walked to the locker room with a 20-10 lead after Washington’s Matt Gay made a 56-yard field goal on the last play of the first half.

鈥淢an, it just represents who he is, to be honest. He talks about it all the time, just his mentality. And it’s literally: You get knocked down, get back up and keep going. He literally did that. His nose was bleeding. Everything鈥檚 bleeding. Had a cut. He stayed in, locked in,鈥� Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner said about Quinn, who was his defensive coordinator years ago when both were with the Seattle Seahawks.

鈥淓verything that he preaches to us, we feel like we saw that in that moment. He got knocked down. Got hit pretty hard. He ain鈥檛 go no pads on. Nothing. He came back up,鈥� Wagner said. 鈥淚t was kind of like a movie. While he was getting treatment, we weren鈥檛 sure he was going to be able to come out. And so, we鈥檙e gathering everybody. I鈥檓 getting ready to speak, and then he comes out of nowhere, and (says), 鈥業 got it!鈥� That was a cool moment. I鈥檒l remember that forever, for sure.鈥�

Asked to relay what Quinn’s message was to the players at halftime, Wagner smiled.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if I can repeat those words,鈥� Wagner replied. 鈥淰ery colorful.鈥�

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