The Commanders struggled to start the season, but a weak NFC East kept them in contention. They had a bye week to correct the execution, penalty and game management issues that had produced a 1-4-1 record.
That’s why, as quarterback Jayden Daniels said, Sunday night’s game against the NFC East rival carried more weight. A loss would essentially push the playoff chances back six feet. A win would take them one step further, with Dallas losing earlier in the day and the Giants not playing.
There was more time to find solutions to all their problems and emerge victorious and ready for a streak of positivity. Instead, we had another difficult start to watch, full of yellow flags and ineffective play.
Then, just before the end of the first half, things picked up. The offense got going and the defense locked down as they asserted themselves and earned a hard-fought 27-10 victory over the Eagles in a game they simply had to have.
Here are some takeaways after watching Sunday night’s game:
Jayden Daniels does just enough
Quarterback Jayden Daniels was ineffective to start this game, appearing out of sync with his receivers working through the air. He improved as the game went on, but he didn’t make the massive negative play that allowed the Commanders to continue adding field goals while erasing a two-score deficit and scoring 27 straight points.
Even though Daniels wasn’t great, he made some special plays. That includes this unreal explosive for Treylon Burks:
Stefon Diggs scored on this touchdown, a turning point in this match:
Daniels completed just 16 of 29 passes for 217 yards and that touchdown — his slow start contributed to that — but found a way to give Washington the win.
Rachaad White punctuated it with a 33-yard run and a 1-yard plunge a few plays later.
The Commanders’ defensive line was decimated by injuries to their two best players, with Daron Payne suffering a season-ending broken foot Friday and Javon Kinlaw out Sunday with a knee issue.
Despite one of the team’s best groups absorbing huge hits, the healthy members of the line played a big role in this one.
Charles Omenihu got a huge sack in the second half.
Then he recovers a fumble forced by Dorance Armstrong, following a powerful bull rush, which brings points to the commanders.
Shy Tuttle also had a sack and was a force in the middle while absorbing more playing time with Payne out.
The Commanders put considerable pressure on Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee, especially in the second half. Blitzes often came home and shook up a true pocket quarterback, but it was impressive to see those up front make big plays against the run and pass given the injuries to key players.
Quinn also cited third-down performance as an X-factor, and Washington was at its best Sunday night on critical downs. The pass rush produced five sacks and the Commanders gave up just 10 points in their best performance of the year.
Sanctions (remain) a huge problem
Commanders have talked a lot about removing penalties during and after the bye week. Washington averaged 7.6 accepted penalties per game Sunday night, with pre-snap penalties being a huge problem that drives Quinn crazy.
Somehow it was worse. The Commanders accepted seven penalties in the first half alone, including four false starts. While a few were questionable – the first (of two) roughing infractions against the passer by K’Lavon Chaisson raised an eyebrow – but most were avoidable.
The Commanders finished the game with nine penalties accepted for 70 yards, including two consecutive penalties that blocked offensive drives.
The fact that this is still an issue seems crazy, how deep into this season we are and it hasn’t been resolved. While execution is always paramount, the types of flags thrown are about coaching. This is simply unacceptable at this point.
What were your biggest learnings from this game? Let us know in the comments below:
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