What looked like a potential upset in the first half of the game turned into yet another frustrating home loss in the Washington Commanders’ 4-11 season.
“It certainly feels terrible to hear that record,” said head coach Dan Quinn. “And that’s hard, that’s difficult. Based on what I saw at practice, I thought these guys would really play hard.”
The Philadelphia Eagles secured a 29-18 victory Saturday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. It was a result that was far more competitive than last season’s 55-23 NFC championship game blowout but ultimately still familiar territory for Washington.
With Saturday’s win, Philadelphia secured its second straight division title, becoming the first NFC East team in more than two decades to win back-to-back division titles. Since 2017, the Eagles have been on the winning side of the division rivalry, winning 13 of the last 17 meetings.
Eagles tight end EJ Jenkins pushes Commanders safety Will Harris after a play in the Eagles’ 29-18 victory on Saturday, Dec. 20 at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. (Abdullah Konte/The Washington Informer)
The Washington Commanders did, however, provide a thrilling spark early on. Cornerback Mike Sainristil forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, which was recovered by rookie linebacker Kain Medrano. The fumble recovery set up a 20-yard Jake Moody field giving Washington a quick 3-0 lead in the first quarter.
“I liked how we came out,” said Quinn. “Honestly, like the special teams, the forced fumble between [CB] Mikey [Mike Sainristil] on the hit and [linebacker] Kain [Medrano], I thought on the recovery it was one of the longest battles of a scrum you could ever see. It went on and on. And so, at the end of it came and he wasn’t giving up the ball.”
The Commanders defense held early, forcing the Eagles to grind out their first touchdown, which was a 5-yard pass from quarterback Jalen Hurts to wide receiver DeVonta Smith.
An Eagles missed field goal kept the game within reach for Washington, as quarterback Marcus Mariota commanded an impressive drive, highlighted by a 40-yard completion to Terry McLaurin and a 14-yard reception by Deebo Samuel. Five consecutive runs inside the 5-yard line ended with a 5-yard touchdown plunge by rookie running back Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt, giving Washington a 10-7 halftime lead.
“I feel like we try to play like that every week and come out on top,” said running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt. “I mean, unfortunately, it just wasn’t happening. So, we try to come out like that every week.”
More Injuries, Tempers Flare, Looking Ahead
The game turned in a major way after halftime. With Mariota sidelined for concussion evaluation after a third-down incomplete pass to wide receiver Treylon Burks, the Eagles embarked on a 17-play drive that lasted more than 10 minutes. It ended with a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dallas Goedert, giving Philadelphia a 14-10 lead.
Veteran quarterback Josh Johnson stepped in for Mariota on the next drive. Although Mariota had been cleared of a concussion, a right hand injury made his return to the game questionable in the second half.
Johnson led the Washington offense to one first down before his pass was intercepted by Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean, giving Philadelphia excellent field position.
“It’s challenging for sure and you know, for Josh [Johnson] obviously, like not getting a lot of the reps into that space,” said Quinn. “So he’ll get more as it goes. And we’ll have a better sense for where it is for Marcus, but it’s a tough spot for anybody to go into. That was no different really with Marcus when he had to go in. So, it’s part of the gig but it’s definitely tough, just for looks because oftentimes you’re game planning or designing one thing, but then you have to go in and do that job.”
Washington’s defense could not recover in the fourth quarter. Saquon Barkley scored on a 12-yard run to extend the Eagles’ lead to two scores. But a 22-yard touchdown run by running back Tank Bigsby sealed the game for Philadelphia. Although Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored a 3-yard touchdown followed by a successful two-point conversion by Jeremy McNichols to counter late in the fourth quarter, it just wasn’t enough for Washington to take over.
Tempers even flared late in the fourth quarter following a successful two-point conversion attempt, which made the lead 29-10 before Washington made its counter score. A sideline-clearing clash resulted in a flurry of flags, which led to the ejections of Washington defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, safety Quan Martin, and Eagles right guard Tyler Steen.
“Eagles versus Commanders, man, that’s how it goes, you know what I mean,” said McLaurin. “It gets physical. It gets testy… But, it comes with this game with these two opponents, you know what I mean? There’s, a lot of history, obviously, and you know they were beating us. So, they’re not going to throw in the towel, they’re not gonna take it easy on us. They’re trying to go for two and bury us, and as a team, you know what I mean, it’s not like you tell them, don’t go for two.”
In the end, it was a game that signaled progress and hope, but ultimately reinforced the gap between Washington and the gap between Washington and the division leader.
“I felt this is a group that’s ready to go do their thing,” said Quinn. “No one in our locker room is talking about who we don’t have or who wasn’t there, those things. And so, it was about how we’d go win it and that was really the only thing on our mind. But I’d expect that from them.I’d expect that from them this week as we prepare again, how we go about it and how we go.”
The Washington Commanders will now look ahead to Christmas Day, as they are set for yet another NFC East division showdown against a 6-7-1 Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium. Kickoff on Thursday Dec. 25 is set for 1 p.m.
“It’s an excellent group of guys,” Quinn said, “it’s a matter of can we go finish the whole thing?”
Source: Washington Informer
