The Washington Commanders have been on a magical ride all season, but it came crashing down in the NFC Championship game.
In today’s 55-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Commanders made mistakes they had avoided throughout the playoff run.
It starts with the three fumbles. Dyami Brown, Jeremy McNichols, and Austin Ekeler all fell victim to the oopsies. The Eagles cashed in on every one of them.
Philadelphia even cashed in on a late interception by Daniels.
The defense wasn’t much better. The defense allowed Saquon Barkley to run for a 60-yard touchdown on Philadelphia’s first offensive play. The Eagles had six possessions in the first half. The only possessions they didn’t score on came on a missed field goal and the end of the half.
What does that tell you?
The Eagles rushed for seven touchdowns. SEVEN. Barkley finished with 118 yards rushing on just 15 carries.
Jalen Hurts carved up the secondary. Wearing a knee brace, Hurts went 20-28 for 246 yards and one touchdown pass.
If AJ Brown (6 receptions, 96 yards) were reading a book today, it would be ” How I Terrorized Marshon Lattimore.”
All week, the question was about the rookie quarterback. Once again, Jayden Daniels didn’t look like a rookie. Yes, he had a late interception after the game had been decided, but he was a beacon of composure all day.
Zach Ertz returned to his old stomping ground to catch 11 passes for 104 yards.
Outside of the Daniels, the rushing game was nonexistent. Brian Robinson Jr. ran for 36 yards, and Ekeler finished with just 14.
There’s pain associated with being this close, but losing by this large margin allows Washington to stay focused on its needs.
No team is promised next year in this league. This isn’t the old days when you could see organizations working on four-year plans. A team can go from 12-5 to 5-12 in a blink.
It’s been cool to see the Washington fans enjoy the ride after a generation under Daniel Snyder’s regime, but there’s work to be done.
The next season starts on Monday.
It will take a lot of work to turn The End into The Beginning.
