Commanders hope road trip to Madrid will help team regroup after poor run

MADRID (AP) — Bringing the guys together for a road trip might be just what the Washington Commanders need to get the season back on track.

The Commanders (3-7) are in Madrid to face the Miami Dolphins on Sunday in the NFL’s final international game of the season. They’re hoping some camaraderie and quality time together in one of Europe’s top cities can help the team end a five-game losing streak.

“I told the team that today as a group, we are coming here to actually get stronger,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Wednesday in his first news conference in Madrid. “Some of that is connection, some of that is our practice and the way that we can do that together. But all of it will be done together.”

“That’s the first part of us getting stronger together,” Quinn added. “But that was the main goal, to get connected and actually get stronger during this week here together. And we think we can do that.”

The Commanders are coming off a 44-22 loss at home to the Detroit Lions. Their last win was at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 5.

“As a team, I think getting away, having an opportunity to really kind of hunker down together, it’s been important, and it’s been great,” quarterback Marcus Mariota said. “I think guys going to dinner, just little things like that, connecting, especially with where we are in the season, I think it’s important just to kind of step away and I think it’s been good for us.”

The game is the seventh NFL game abroad this season, the most ever since the league started making a push to expand globally.

Daniels and Payne out

Washington remains without quarterback Jayden Daniels because of a dislocated left elbow he suffered during the team’s 38-14 loss to Seattle in Week 9. The Commanders will also be without defensive tackle Daron Payne, who was suspended for one game without pay by the NFL for hitting Detroit Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the second quarter against the Lions.

Quinn said Payne visited with the NFL and apologized. The coach said it was “out of character for him to do that. So, he wanted to be able to express his remorse for that incident.”

Execution struggles

Quinn took over defensive coordinator duties this week. He has blamed poor execution for the team’s recent struggles.

“I do feel that way,” Quinn said. “And the reason why, I’ve seen where it hits good and I’ve seen where it doesn’t. So, had we not seen where we could hit the marks, I’d feel otherwise. So, that’s what we’re digging in hard on, to have this time together here on this trip to do those things, that’s important for us.”

The Dolphins are also 3-7 but Mike McDaniel’s team is coming off a 30-13 home victory over the Buffalo Bills.

Pleasure vs business

Mariota said “never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined I’d be sitting here today” after growing up in Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He said he brought his parents and brother to the game in Madrid, and many of the players were able to do some sightseeing in the Spanish capital.

“You got to find the happy medium,” he said. “We are here on business, and we have a job at hand … We understand that there’s opportunities to take some time away and to experience what Madrid has to offer, but also, we have guys that understand like, ‘Hey, there’s times to hunker down and let’s get things rolling and making sure that we’re ready to roll.’”

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