Morning Edition

October 12, 2026

The Commanders and Giants tied 27–27 after Washington let time run out instead of kicking a game-winning field goal. The blunder caught the attention of Commanders minority owner Magic Johnson, and some pundits wondered whether coach Dan Quinn would be able to survive it.

A note to FOS readers: There will be no PM edition of The Memo today, but check your inboxes Tuesday for our regularly scheduled morning newsletter.

Also, check our homepage and socials on Tuesday for full-day coverage of our third annual Tuned In event, where we’ll interview some of the biggest names in sports media.

—Michael McCarthy

First Up

Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson is once again playing well enough for the team to win—in the final season of his contract.
The Bears wore helmet decals, and the Packers and Saints held pregame moments of silence for former coach Mike Ditka, who died last week at 86.
U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would release details of meetings he had with Manchester City FC executives while he was mayor of Greater Manchester.
Sophie Cunningham told a columnist at The Athletic to “suck it” after a column said the Indiana Fever should let the unrestricted free agent walk.

It’s Time for NFL Networks to Hire ‘Clock Management’ Specialists

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

The hiring of Mike Pereira as on-air “rules” analyst by Fox Sports revolutionized sports TV back in 2010. In my book, it’s high time for NFL TV partners to add “clock management” analysts to their game telecasts.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn’s unforgivable clock management at the end of Sunday’s 27–27 tie with the Giants was the biggest clock blunder in years. By inadvertently letting time run out instead of setting up a game-winning field goal, Quinn snatched a tie from the very jaws of victory.

It was so laughable that ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio called it a “firing offense.” No wonder, since Washington minority owner Magic Johnson sounded off about the blunder on X/Twitter. “I’m in total disbelief my Commanders had such poor clock management in today’s overtime game against the Giants,” tweeted Johnson. “All we had to do was kick the field goal and we would have won the game!”

The Magic Man wasn’t alone. Fox play-by-play announcer Chris Myers and color commentator Jonathan Vilma couldn’t believe what they were seeing as the Commanders QB Jayden Daniels danced around with no timeouts instead of clocking the ball and attempting a game-winning field goal inside of 40 yards.

“They don’t have a timeout. What are they doing?” asked Myers. “They’ve got to get up and spike this. They’re not going to be able to get this done in time! It’s gonna run out on them! The clock ran out as Daniels ran the ball!…Unbelievable. A comedy of errors late.”

Vilma agreed. “Chris, that’s inexcusable!” he said. “It was just supposed to be, you go, you take a knee, set up, clock, and then get out of there.”

Across social media, NFL experts registered their shock as the Commanders fell to 1–3–1 and the Giants moved to 3–1–1:

Yahoo’s NFL writer Frank Schwab tweeted it wouldn’t be a surprise if Quinn—who coughed up a 28–3 lead to Bill Belichick’s Patriots in Super Bowl LI—lost his job. “Dan Quinn might not survive this one,” he tweeted. “The Commanders had a time management mistake for the ages, costing them a shot at the win.”

Ex-Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III was equally aghast. “The Washington Commanders lost because of poor clock management and communication between the coaches and QB Jayden Daniels. IT JUST CAN’T HAPPEN,” tweeted RGIII.

Fox’s own Tim Brando called it an “inexcusable” miscue, tweeting: “Uhhhh Clock management? @Commanders can we talk? Ouch babe. Great work by my colleague @The_ChrisMyers & @Jonathan_Vilma on what was an inexcusable mistake at the end!”

As for hiring “clock management” experts, why not? The NFL’s media partners Fox, ESPN, NBC Sports, CBS Sports, and Amazon Prime Video pay anywhere from $1 billion to $2.7 billion a year to show NFL games.

For years, TV viewers have endured example after example of coaches not knowing what to do at crunch time. Hiring a clock-management analyst to pop up in the right situation like Pereira would be a logical next step.

Back in 2018, Rams coach Sean McVay hired Jedd Fisch as a clock-management specialist for critical situations. He helped the 15–3 Rams reach Super Bowl LIII. The NFL’s media partners should follow McVay’s lead.

FOS SURVEY

Want a Chance to Win $500 in Tickets?

At Front Office Sports, we’re always looking for new ways to improve, and we’d love to hear from those who matter most—you!

Help us learn more about our audience by taking a few minutes to complete this survey. It won’t take long, and as a thank-you, we’re offering a chance to win $500 in tickets. Your responses will be anonymous, and no personal data will be shared.

Take the survey today.

ONE BIG FIG

Taxed Dodgers

Jon Endow-Imagn Images

$360,517,393

That’s the combined tax payroll of the Brewers, Guardians, and Rays—the three League Championship Series participants not named the Dodgers. It’s lower than Los Angeles’s 2026 tax payroll of $433,057,244, the highest in MLB. The Dodgers began the NLCS on Sunday as betting favorites to win the World Series, but lower-spending teams’ postseason success has undercut owners’ argument that a hard salary cap is needed to maintain competitive balance.

DAILY SPORTS TRIVIA

Can you rank the top five NFL kickers by most career field goals made?

Final Call to Join Us at Tuned In

Tuned In, presented by Spectrum Business, returns tomorrow with some of the biggest names in sports media, including:

ESPN on-air legend Chris Berman
Mike Tirico, lead host and play-by-play announcer at NBC Sports
Radio Hall of Famer Chris “Mad Dog” Russo of SiriusXM
Prime Video’s Taylor Rooks
Netflix sports broadcaster and lead host Elle Duncan
MLS commissioner Don Garber
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman
LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell
Hans Schroeder, EVP and chief media officer at the NFL
Mike Foss, EVP and executive editor, sports news and entertainment, ESPN
Pablo Torre of the Pulitzer-winning podcast Pablo Torre Finds Out
College sports broadcaster John Fanta of NBC Sports
Josh Pate of Josh Pate’s College Football Show

Don’t miss your chance to go beyond the headlines with conversations on the future of broadcasting, media rights, and more with some of the industry’s most influential voices.

Get your ticket now to join us tomorrow.

STATUS REPORT

Two Up, Two Down

Reuters-Guglielmo Mangiapane

Lewis Hamilton ⬇ The Formula 1 driver apologized after overruling his Ferrari team’s decision to make a pit stop during a virtual safety car at the Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday. Though he started in third position, he finished sixth. Hamilton also skipped post-race interviews, saying he felt unwell. Mercedes holds a sizable lead over Ferrari with six races left in the season.

New York Rangers ⬇ The team confirmed star goalie Igor Shesterkin will miss the rest of the season after he was injured Friday during a loss to the Capitals. In 2024, the Rangers signed Shesterkin to an eight-year, $92.5 million extension that began this year, making him the highest-paid goalie in NHL history.

UCLA ⬆ The Bruins leaped into No. 12 in the AP rankings after beating Oregon 17–15 in Eugene on Saturday. After moving to the Big Ten, the Bruins endured losing seasons in 2024 and 2025, and a 2025 report ranked them 14th in the conference for football investment. The university reversed course by paying big money to bring in James Madison coach Bob Chesney and his staff before the 2026 season.

Kyrie Irving ⬆ The Dallas Mavericks guard scored 17 points on 6–13 shooting against the Rockets in China. It was his first appearance since March 2025, when he tore his ACL. In the postgame press conference, he hailed the advances of sports medicine in helping players like him, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton return from what might have been career-ending injuries in earlier eras. “The next generation is using us as an example,” he said.

FOS NEWS

Everything to Know About the New Nick Saban Docuseries

FOS graphic

Aaron Cohen, executive producer of the new Nick Saban docuseries, joined Front Office Sports to discuss why now is the time to tell the former Alabama football coach’s story, building trust with one of sports’ most intimidating figures, and the origin story behind his famous process philosophy.