The Washington Commanders left Lincoln Financial Field with plenty to sort through after a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and the game delivered an early snapshot of what this team may be under its new coordinators.
It was the first real look at offensive coordinator David Blough and defensive coordinator Daronte Jones running the show, and both sides offered clues. Washington’s defense played with a clear edge and plenty of pressure. The offense, meanwhile, flashed late but spent much of the afternoon searching for rhythm.
That contrast defined the game. The Commanders kept it tight into the fourth quarter, fought back again and again, and still came up short after too many mistakes across the board.
Washington’s offense finally found some life late, but it took time.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels had trouble getting the ball downfield to his top targets, and the run game had a few encouraging moments without really helping the unit sustain drives. Philadelphia’s secondary made life difficult, and the offensive line had stretches where Daniels had to scramble just to create anything workable.
Still, the Commanders didn’t fold.
Early in the fourth quarter, Daniels converted a third-and-14 with a 33-yard strike to Antonio Williams to keep a scoring drive alive. He followed that by finding Stefon Diggs for a touchdown. After the extra point, Washington was within 17-16, with Diggs’ unsportsmanlike penalty taking away the chance for a 2-point try.
Down eight with about six minutes left, the Commanders made one more push. Daniels guided the offense deep into Eagles territory, and Washington converted a fourth down to Terry McLaurin to get to goal-to-go. Daniels then hit Williams for a touchdown with 1:01 remaining.
But the final 2-point conversion failed. Blough may have gotten too cute with a shovel pass to tight end John Bates, and the Eagles held on.
The offense showed enough to suggest it can be dangerous if it cleans things up, but there were too many mistakes to beat quality opposition. The Eagles defense made things hard, and Washington eventually wore that unit down some, but not enough to erase the damage done earlier.
Jones’ defense, though, looked exactly like what people expected.
Having spent his last three seasons working under Brian Flores in Minnesota, Jones came into this job with a reputation for pressure and disruption, and he didn’t hide it on Sunday. Washington sent heat over and over, trying to make Philadelphia deal with chaos from different angles.
Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles was especially active, and his first NFL sack came on a blitz that also blew up Saquon Barkley. Odafe Oweh added his first sack as a Commander on a five-man pressure that forced a punt in the third quarter.
There were splash plays, but also backbreaking ones against Washington. Cornerback Mike Sainristil was burned for two explosive plays, including one where he appeared to lose the ball. And late in the game, the defense gave up a touchdown to Dallas Goedert at exactly the wrong moment, pushing Philadelphia out to an eight-point lead.
That score wound up being the difference.
Special teams also played a huge role, and Tyler Owens was everywhere early. He repeatedly fought through double teams and delivered violent hits in coverage, consistently shortening returns and firing up the sideline. His first-half effort stood out in a major way, and by the end it might have been one of the best special teams performances seen in a while.
But Owens left the game with an ankle injury in the second half, and Washington announced that was the issue. The Commanders will hope he can get back soon because of how much he meant in the kicking game.
Special teams also gave Washington problems. A blocked extra point, with the snap coming high, and a Drew Stevens field-goal attempt that missed wide right both landed as costly misses in a game decided by two points.
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