Giving up 45 points shouldn't impact Aaron Glenn's prospects

Many will look at last night's 45-point outburst by the Commanders and wonder whether it will sink defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn's chances to become a head coach elsewhere.

It shouldn't.

Yes, the Lions gave up 481 yards. Yes, Washington's average gain was 6.6 yards per play. But the Lions' defense was besieged with injuries, all season long. It was one after another after another, after another. And Glenn did a masterful job in Week 18, holding the Vikings to nine measly points.

There's another reason why owners shouldn't view Glenn differently after Saturday night. Last year, the Dallas defense under Dan Quinn gave up even more points in a blowout loss to the Packers.

Quinn's unit gave up 48, to be exact. And it didn't stop the Commanders from hiring him.

The challenge in promoting a coordinator to coach if he has never been a head coach before is to project whether he'll thrive at the next level. One good game from the side of the ball he coaches means no more than one bad game. The question is can this guy stand at the front of the room and run a team of his own?

The would be the same question if the Commanders had scored 45 or 4.5 points last night. Even if the latter is impossible.

Some think Glenn has the best chance of landing with the Jets or the Saints. Is it possible that last night is held against him by one of those teams? Considering that one of those teams has a reputation for making personnel decisions based in part on Madden ratings, being on the wrong side of a playoff contest that felt like a game of Madden could be a problem — even if it shouldn't be.