2. Washington had its moments but couldn’t stay consistent.
It wasn’t all bad for Washington; there were moments when it looked like the team would pull off more postseason heroics.
Aside from ending things with a field goal rather than a touchdown, the Commanders’ opening drive went exactly as planned. They kept the Eagles off the field with an 18-play drive, went for fourth down twice and relied on Jayden Daniels’ athleticism to fuel the offense. Terry McLaurin also showed off his playmaking ability with a 36-yard touchdown that moved the Commanders within two points of tying the score.
Things were more challenging on defense, but the unit did provide some key second-half stops. The Eagles’ opening drive of the third quarter resulted in a three-and-out, and after the offense scored on a 70-yard drive to cut the deficit to 11, they made another stop that allowed Daniels and his group to build on that momentum.
But the Commanders couldn’t afford any mistakes against Philadelphia, and a handful was made on both sides. The offense didn’t punt in the first half but did have to settle for two field goals, which weren’t enough to keep up with the Eagles. The unit also followed Philadelphia’s three-and-out in the second half with one of their own, and the Eagles scored four plays later.
Things became much more difficult on defense in the second half, as the Eagles zoomed down the field on four scoring drives, each of which took five plays or less. The Eagles ran 29 plays in the second half but averaged just over eight yards per snap.