In a heavily anticipated NFC East matchup, the Washington Commanders failed to find any spark to start their usual fire in a 18-26 Thursday, Nov. 14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. With a win, the Commanders would have been sitting atop the division, but their disappointing showing now makes their playoff hopes significantly more difficult to realize.
The Commanders (7-4) entered the game looking to recover from a down week against the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-2), a game in which quarterback Jayden Daniels did not successfully convert any passing touchdowns. Before then, however, the team had pole vaulted themselves into playoff contention by racking up a surprising 7-2 record under the rookie quarterback’s leadership. Fans hoped Daniels could return back to his earlier season form, but, once again, he could not muster enough offensive firepower to put the Commanders over the top. The team’s inconsistent defense also had no answers for Eagles (8-2) running back Saquon Barkley, who tallied 146 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.
The first half of the game saw the two teams go back and forth, each unable to meaningfully pull away from the other. After the initial kickoff, the Eagles drove down the field all the way to Washington’s 26-yard line to set up kicker Jake Elliott for a 44-yard field goal, which Elliott missed left of center. The Commanders’ drive on the other side of the field also stalled, causing the team to give up the ball back to the Eagles. After 7 plays and a paltry 11 yards, the Eagles surrendered the ball again, continuing the unexciting streak of 0-0 on the scoreboard.
On the subsequent drive, however, a couple of Commanders players looked reenergized. Right away, Daniels threw a short pass to running back Austin Ekeler, who took the ball with him and pounded down the field for a 34-yard gain. Two plays later, running back Brian Robinson Jr. navigated straight through the middle of the Eagles’ defensive line — aided by excellent blocking from his own offensive line — for 18 additional yards to put the Commanders at the Philadelphia 1-yard line. He then took it upon himself on the ensuing first-and-goal to score a touchdown. After kicker Zane Gonzalez made the extra point, the Commanders took a 7-0 lead.
The Eagles responded by conjuring another long drive — this one 77 yards — only to fall short again when Elliott missed his second field goal of the night, a 51-yarder. Despite the Eagles’ kicking mishaps, the Commanders failed to put additional points on the scoreboard. This gave the Eagles one more chance for a field goal before the half expired, a 21-yarder that Elliott was able to convert. Heading into the half, the Commanders led by a small 7-3 margin, giving either team more than enough room to take the game into their own hands.
Both teams drilled field goals on their respective first plays of the second half, but it was the Eagles who would go on to control the game from there. In a 2nd-and-7 at the Philadelphia 29-yard line, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a 34-yard dart to tight end Dallas Goedert. Though Goedert initially caught the ball, he ended up fumbling it due to pressure from Commanders safety Quan Martin. Fortunately for the Eagles, fellow tight end Grant Calcaterra recovered the fumble for an additional 2-yard gain instead of an outright turnover. Barkley then took advantage of the shift in momentum to score a 23-yard rushing touchdown.
By this point, it was clear that the Commanders had lost their mojo. Daniels haplessly turned over the ball to the Eagles as a result of Eagles safety Reed Blankenship’s interception. After this incident, Barkley took the ball to the end zone again on just 2 plays: a 7-yard rush followed by a 39-yard touchdown. The Commanders did rally with another touchdown of their own to make the score 18-26, but their effort was too little, too late. They attempted an onside kick with 31 seconds left in the game that was quickly recovered by Goedert to end the game for good.
As has been evident throughout the season, the Commanders are a vastly improved team from their previous version. Their young franchise quarterback serves as a promising touchstone for the coaching staff to build around in the future, and the team also looks more than capable of contending for a playoff spot at present. Though Philadelphia dealt the team a huge blow, it is one that they will almost certainly recover from. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury has several subpar teams to scheme against in the weeks ahead, including the Dallas Cowboys (3-7) and the Tennessee Titans (2-8), which should allow the Commanders to expand their win column.
Washington will look to avenge this loss in their Sunday, Dec. 22 rematch against Philadelphia, but before then, the team will look to regain their momentum when facing Dallas on Sunday, Nov. 24, 1 p.m. at home.
