Washington was down by two points in the fourth quarter, needing either a field goal or a first down to keep their hopes of a win—and a chance at taking the NFC East lead—alive in Philadelphia.
The Commanders were trailing 12-10 when they failed to convert on second- and third-and-1 plays. Coach Dan Quinn, encouraged by a strong start to the season, decided to put the ball in the hands of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels on a crucial fourth-and-2 from the Eagles’ 26-yard line.
Daniels fumbled the snap, scrambled to his right, and was knocked out of bounds by linebacker Zack Baun.
The Eagles took over on downs, and the Commanders’ chance for a defining win under Quinn and Daniels slipped away.
Just moments after the failed fourth-down attempt, Saquon Barkley rushed for his first of two fourth-quarter touchdowns, putting Philadelphia ahead by two scores. The Eagles (8-2) went on to beat the Commanders (7-4) 26-18 on Thursday night, handing Washington their second consecutive loss.
“Bold call,” Quinn said. “I’d also say we were prepared for that moment. Didn’t love the execution. But we’ve been an excellent fourth-down team.
Going into it, we knew we’d have to take our shots against a tough division team on the road. We didn’t like the execution or the result. But we were prepared for that.” The backup plan was to attempt a field goal.
Zane Gonzalez, who had been promoted from the practice squad due to Austin Seibert’s hip injury, made a 45-yard field goal earlier in the game, giving Washington a 10-3 lead. But Quinn chose not to let him try again from about 44 yards out, which would have given Washington a 13-12 lead.
“To be the heavy hitters that we want to be, you’ve got to be able to close,” Quinn said. “How do you learn the lesson to close? That’s what we’re going to become. You knew this adversity was coming. It just does.”
Daniels finished the game 22 of 32 for 191 yards and threw a late touchdown pass. He was intercepted by safety Reed Blankenship in the fourth quarter, setting up Barkley’s second touchdown.
As for the important fourth-down call, Daniels said, “I’m always a part of, hey let’s go for it.”
It was a tough night for Daniels and star wide receiver Terry McLaurin. McLaurin, who had gone over 100 yards receiving in four of the last eight games, including 113 yards on five catches in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, had just one catch for 10 yards against the Eagles, with cornerback Quinyon Mitchell covering him.
“It happens,” McLaurin said. “I can only control what I can.”
Quinn said the team would get a few extra days off before heading into the final stretch of the season. The Commanders have four of their next five games at home, starting on November 24 against Dallas. The break is much-needed.
While the Eagles had their bye week early in the season (Week 5), the Commanders’ bye isn’t until Week 14. Injuries are starting to add up after a relatively healthy start to the year. “I feel like we’ll respond great,” Daniels said. “We’ll rest up and get back to it.”
