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The Washington Commanders lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. They made it that far with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels because they did not turn the ball over in the first two rounds. But three turnovers cost them multiple scoring opportunities and let the Eagles' running game cook. The Commanders have a strong foundation to build on but they may never get this opportunity again.
This game opened with an 18-play drive from the Commanders that only ended in a field goal. They went for it on fourth down twice on the drive but decided to kick instead of trying a third time. Saquon Barkley scored on the first play of the next drive, putting the Commanders on their heels from the beginning. Plenty of things went wrong from there, including a missed two-point conversion and an inability to stop the run.
For the Commanders to get over the playoff hump, they will likely have to beat the Eagles in January. They have to learn from this loss and come back even better next year.
The Commanders' running game could not keep up
Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr combined for 51 rushing yards on 19 carries in the NFC Championship Game. Jayden Daniels led the Commanders with 48 rushing yards on six carries of his own and found the end zone. The Eagles dominated on the ground with over 200 rushing yards across four different players. While matching their performance was out of the question, they needed to keep it closer than that.
Ekeler also had one of the three turnovers in this game that changed the outlook. The Commanders had stopped Philly's offense and got the ball back down 11 points with time running out in the third quarter. Ekeler caught an outlet pass, got one yard, and then fumbled. The Eagles scored a touchdown on the ensuing drive, effectively ending the game.
There are not many running games that can keep up with the Eagles. But for the Commanders to win, they needed a better effort on the ground than this.
Dan Quinn got over-aggressive
The Commanders made it to the NFC Championship Game because Dan Quinn left no stone unturned all season. He made a new name for himself going for it on fourth down and going for two-point conversions. But in this game, he quivered in a few big spots and got over-aggressive in some other spots. Quinn's choices got them there but did not work against the Eagles.
After kicking field goals on two fourth downs they could have gone for, they finally scored a touchdown. They benefitted from a missed Jake Elliott field goal and were down 14-12 with the point-after pending. Dan Quinn decided to for two and they missed it. While the game ended up being a blowout, the missed conversion gave Philly momentum that they immediately seized.
The Commanders' defense did not make enough stops
The Commanders' defense was not the unit that led them to the NFC Championship Game. They beat the Lions in a classic shootout but did get the best defensive performance of the season against the Buccaneers. Washington needed a big defensive game without Daron Payne and they did not get that.
On five first-half drives, the Eagles scored four touchdowns and missed a field goal. The Commanders scored 15 points, which could have been 16 or 17 if not for the missed conversion. That should be enough to keep a game close but they were down by 12, 27-15, at the break. This was going to be the challenge but they also allowed more passing yards to the Eagles than any opponent had in the playoffs.
Jalen Hurts threw for 259 yards in the first two games and 246 yards against the Commanders. AJ Brown bounced back from two bad performances for 96 yards and a touchdown. If the Eagles can get their passing game going, they are nearly unbeatable. Even with trade deadline acquisition Marshon Lattimore on the field, their secondary was not enough for the high-powered Eagles.
