Loading ...In the end, it was just too much to overcome.
The Washington Commanders’ thrill ride of a season ended in Philadelphia Sunday, one game short of Super Bowl LIX, with a 55-23 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Commanders needed to play a near-perfect game to pull off the upset, but three costly first-half mistakes doomed Washington’s chances.
Washington drove 18 plays and 54 yards to start the game. The drive culminated with a Zane Gonzales 34-yard field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
The first mistake came on Philly’s first offensive snap. Saquon Barkley broke free on a toss sweep and ran 60 yards for a touchdown and a 7-3 lead.
Mistake number two came on Washington’s next series. Quarterback Jayden Daniels hit wide receiver Dyami Brown for a five-yard gain but Eagles linebacker Zach Braun knocked the ball loose and recovered the fumble.
The turnover led to Barkley’s second touchdown and a 14-3 lead for Philadelphia.
After a second Gonzales field goal, the Commanders cut the lead to 14-12 when Daniels hit Terry McLaurin on a slant that turned into a 36-yard touchdown.
After Eagles quarterback Jaylen Hurts stretched the lead to 20-12, Washington made mistake number three.
Jeremy McNichols took the ensuing kickoff at the five-yard line. He was hit at the 17 by the Eagles Will Shipley. Kenneth Gainwell recovered, and seven plays later, Hurts found A.J. Brown in the end zone for a 27-12 lead.
There was some hope as the Commanders kicked a field goal just before halftime to cut the lead to 27-15 but a fourth mistake, this time in the third quarter doomed Washington.
With the score 34-23 in the third quarter (after the teams exchanged scores), Austin Eckler fumbled after catching a short pass from Daniels, Hurts would score again from the one to push the lead to 41-23. Barkelys third touchdown of the day made the score 48-23.
Despite the loss, there is ample evidence that this team is just beginning an era of NFC relevance.
Washington general manager Adam Peters will have more than 70 million dollars in effective salary cap space in the off-season. The front office, coming off a draft that saw the organization draft four starters and acquire another ten through free agency and trades, is expected to improve a roster that while cohesive, still needs improving.
The biggest asset though, is Daniels.
Getting to a conference championship game, let alone a Super Bowl is hard. A quarterback like Daniels will make it look much easier.
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