2024 REWIND: Week 11 – Commanders give up 20 points in 4th quarter to lose to Eagles 26-18

The second disappointing loss in a 2024 mid-season 3-game skid

For the first time since Week 2, the Commanders were not in first place in the NFC East in Week 11, but they had the opportunity to remedy that with a prime time road win against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Thursday night games are always a challenge for NFL teams, but Washington, with a Week 14 bye, was probably struggling a bit more than usual with team health.

That included the team’s newest defensive starter, CB Marshon Lattimore, who had already been dealing with a hamstring injury when the Commanders front office acquired him from the Saints at the trade deadline. Against a team as talented as the Eagles, Lattimore’s coverage skills would have been extremely welcome, but he wouldn’t play this week and, in fact, didn’t get onto the field of play until Week 16 when the Commanders traveled to New Orleans.

After stumbling to a 2-2 start and making headlines for the wrong reasons early in the season, the Eagles seemed to have righted the ship by Week 11. They had won five straight games against an admittedly soft lineup of opponents (Browns, Giants, Bengals, Jaguars, and the Dak-less Cowboys) with an overall record of 13-35, but aside from a one-score win against the Jags, the Eagles’ margins of victory had been emphatic.

Washington was aiming to bounce back from a stinging 1-point loss at home against the NFC North leading Steelers, whose defense probably posed the toughest challenge rookie QB Jayden Daniels has yet faced in his young career.

Philly would offer another stern test. The Steelers defense had been 10th in the NFL ranked by DVOA; the Eagles at the time were ranked 7th.

Offensively, Washington ranked 2nd by DVOA behind the Ravens, so it’s probably fair to say that this would be the toughest test the Philadelphia defense had had to face this season (and they still had a road game scheduled against Baltimore in Week 13).

Despite Washington’s loss in this game, the division title race was not decided since the Commanders would still host the Eagles for the 2nd matchup of the ‘24 season in 5 weeks.

---

First Quarter

Philly opens with an 11-play drive, but no score
Within the first few plays, LG Landon Dickerson was hurt and had to be helped from the field.

The Eagles converted a pair of quick first downs to reach midfield before the first big play of the day — a 25-yard catch and run by WR AJ Brown to get the ball to Washington’s 2-yard line.

After a loss and an offensive holding call, it was 2nd & 22 at the 35-yard line. Under pressure, Jalen Hurts ducked and threw the ball out of bounds to bring up a critical 3rd down. A simple handoff to Gainwell was not popular with the crowd who grumbled as the Eagles kicker came on the field. The dissatisfaction became even more vocal when Jake Elliott missed the 44-yard attempt wide left.

The Eagles failed drive had lasted 11 plays and covered 44 yards. Hurts was 3-6 for 40 yards on the Philly opening drive.

Commanders go 3 & out
Washington took over at the spot of the kick at the Philly 34-yard line.

LB Zack Baun knocked down a Jayden Daniels pass to Noah Brown in the middle of the field on 3rd down to force a quick out.

After the punt, Philadelphia was set up for offensive drive #2 at their own 9-yard line with starting guard Dickerson back in the game.

Commanders defense forces a punt
Two runs for 9 yards brought up 3rd & 1 and the Eagles lined up for the ‘tush push’, which they converted easily.

Two plays later, on 3rd down, the Washington defense came up big, with LB Frankie Luvu sacking Jalen Hurts as he tried to step out of the pocket to extend the play.

A short punt by the Eagles meant that the Commanders would begin their second offensive drive with outstanding field position at their own 42-yard line with 05:25 remaining in the first quarter.

Commanders open the scoring with an explosive drive
On first down, a checkdown to Ekeler behind the line turned into a 24-yard gain, as Ekeler ran right through Baun’s arm tackle.

On 2nd & 5, Brian Robinson broke through the line and exploded for 18 yards to the 1-yard line.

On the next play, Robinson got the ball again and powered into the end zone to give the Commanders a 7-0 lead.

The drive covered 58 yards in 4 plays, and comprised 3 runs and a screen pass.

On the kickoff, Philly had a good return to the 36-yard line to start its 3rd offensive drive of the game.

Commanders defense continues to frustrate Philly offense
Hurts missed DeVonta Smith on first down, and Saquon Barkley ran for 6 yards on 2nd down. On 3rd & 4, Jalen Hurts hit Jahan Dotson in the hands 12 yards downfield, but Dotson dropped it under tight coverage by Mikey Sainristil.

A good punt return by Zaccheaus was wiped out by an illegal block by Noah Igbinoghene, pushing the Commanders back to their own 5-yard line to start their third drive of the game with a touchdown lead.

Washington offense stymied; another 3 & out
The drive opened with a 2-yard loss on a checkdown to Ekeler, but a handoff to Ekeler went for 6 yards to bring up 3rd & 6 deep in Commanders own territory. A 2-yard scramble by Daniels wasn’t enough, and Tress Way had to come on the field to punt from his own goal line.

Incredibly, the Eagles miss another field goal attempt
After a short return, the Eagles started their next offensive drive in Washington territory at the Commanders 48-yard line.

The first quarter ended with a nice run by Saquon Barkley for 7 yards.

Thus far, Jayden Daniels was 3-4 for 37 yards, while Hurts was 4-10 for 42 yards and one sack for -2 yards. Both teams were running the ball well. The Eagles had 9 rushes for 38 yards; Washington had 6 carries for 33 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles had run more offensive plays, but trailed by 7 points.

Second Quarter

On a 1st down play at Washington’s 36-yard-line, Jalen Hurts, under pressure continually retreated and but was quickly sacked by Frankie Luvu again; this time for a 13-yard loss.

When the Eagles couldn’t recover from the loss in the next two plays, Jake Elliott came back onto the field to attempt a 51-yard field goal.

Elliott had missed his first attempt from 44 yards; he missed even wider with his second attempt, giving the ball back to Washington at the Eagles 41-yard line with its 7-0 lead intact.

The non-scoring drive had covered 15 yards in 7 plays, with the key play being the Luvu sack.

Philly forces third 3 & out in 4 offensive drives
Speaking of sacks, on 1st down, Jayden Daniels danced around a heavy pass rush before getting sacked by Brandon Graham for a 4 yard loss.

It was followed up by another sack — this one by Josh Sweat — to force 3rd & 22 from the 29-yard line. The Commanders ended up punting from the 35-yard line; the ball went out of bounds at the Philly 25-yard line. The drive had lasted 3 plays and lost 8 yards.

With 09:51 left in the half, the Eagles started their 5th drive of the game, having punted twice and missed a pair of field goal attempts.

Eagles offense can’t get anything going
Runs by Hurts & Barkley gained 6 yards to bring up 3rd & 4 at the 32-yard line. On the 3rd down play, Hurts was under heavy pressure. He extended the play and then threw the ball out of bounds while AJ Brown was standing all alone on the sideline after the defender fell down, and the boos from the Philly crowd started to rain down.

After the 3 & out and Philly’s third punt of the game, Washington took over at the Commanders 37-yard line with a 7-0 lead.

Commanders put together a 9-play drive but end up punting
Another short pass on 1st down went to Dyami Brown, who picked his way to a 4-yard gain. Brian Robinson rumbled for 7 yards on the next play to earn another first down. It was the first reception by a Washington wide receiver in the game.

Another pass — this time to Robinson — went for 9 yards on 1st down, but a holding call against Dyami Brown forced 2nd & 10. A 6-yard gain on a pass to Ekeler brought up 3rd & 4, which Zach Ertz converted with a 10-yard gain to the Eagles 47 yard line.

After a short scramble and an incomplete pass, Washington faced 3rd & 9 at the 46-yard line. The Philly crowd got loud, and Ekeler dropped a pass that hit him in the hands, wide open in the open field to force the punt.

The drive had lasted 5 plays and covered 27 yards.

Philly finally scores in the closing seconds of the half
The Eagles would start their next drive at their own 10-yard line with just over 4 minutes remaining in the half. Washington would get the ball to start the 3rd quarter, so Philly needed to put points on the board here.

Following the timeout for the 2-minute warning, Philly had the ball near midfield on a 1st & 10 play.

The Eagles had a big play on 2nd & 6 as DeVonta Smith turned a short pass into a 21-yard gain.

A penalty against Sainristil on the following play gave the Eagles a first-down at he 20-yard line.

Washington started using time outs with 53 seconds left in an effort to keep enough time on the clock for a final scoring drive of the half.

On a key play, facing 3rd & 8 at the 18-yard line, Hurts scrambled for 9 yards to bring up 1st & goal at the yard line.

Three plays later, on third down, Hurts scrambled under heavy pressure, and threw the ball a few yards as he was being brought down by a pair of Washington rushers, forcing 4th down and the 3rd FG attempt of the game by Jake Elliott.

This time, he made the 21-yard attempt to make the score 7-3 with 19 seconds remaining in the half. The scoring drive had lasted 15 plays and covered 87 yards.

Commanders run out of time
Daniels did not take a knee; instead, he hit Ekeler in the middle of the field, who turned upfield and gained 18 yards. Using the team’s 2nd time out, the drive remained alive.

On the next play, Daniels missed Luke McCaffrey on the right sideline. The clock stopped with 9 seconds remaining in the half.

The final play of the half started with the snap of the ball at 4 seconds remaining; It was an anti-climactic ending as Daniels simply handed the ball to Brian Robinson who added 5 yards to his game stats.

On the game broadcast, it was announced that Jalen Hurts was being assessed for a possible concussion, but the final shot as the broadcast went to the break showed the Eagles QB running to the locker room, apparently just fine.

The Commander had a 4-point lead in a low-scoring half, and would get the ball to open the 3rd quarter.

Halftime Stats

Statistics via ESPN

---

Third Quarter

Washington opens the half with an 8-play scoring drive
Washington received the 2nd half kickoff and started its 7th offensive drive of the game at the 31-yard line after Austin Ekeler fumbled the ball at the end of his return. The fumble was recovered by Michael Walker to retain possession.

Robinson was tackled for a loss on 2nd & 2 to bring up 3rd & 5 at the 36-yard line. The crowd was roaring, but the cheers turned to boos when the officials called Cooper DeJean for defensive pass interference against — stop me if you’ve heard this before — WR Noah Brown. It was a ticky-tack call, not unlike the weak call against Sainristil in the first half, gifting the Commanders a 1st down.

Washington made hay with a 20-yard gain by Austin Ekeler on a catch and run to the Philly 28-yard line.

A run by Robinson and a short loss on a Daniels run brought up 3rd & 4 at the 22-yard line. An incomplete pass on the 3rd down play brought kicker Zane Gonzalez onto the field for an attempt that was pushed to 45 yards by a pre-snap penalty. The kick was right down the middle to make it 10-3 on the scoreboard. The drive had lasted 6 plays and covered 42 yards.

Philadelphia responds with another field goal
The Eagles took the field for their first drive of the second half and 7th drive of the game at the 13-yard line following a penalty for offensive holding on the kick return.

On a key 3rd & 6 at the 40-yard line, Saquon Barkley eluded a Percy Butler tackle on a dumpoff pass, and the back raced 43 yards to Washington’s 17-yard line. A huge play!

Two plays later, Philly faced 3rd & 6 at Washington’s 13-yard line. The Washington defense stiffened here and prevented any gain.

Jake Elliott came out for his 4th attempt of the game; this 31-yard attempt split the uprights. The score was no 10-6 with 05:32 left in the quarter. The scoring drive had covered 74 yards in 10 plays, but the burgundy & gold defense came up with the red-zone stop to preserve the lead and give the Commanders offense a chance to build on it.

Commanders can’t move the ball
A Brian Robinson run and a Jayden Daniels scramble earned 10 yard sand a first down at the 40-yard line.

Two plays earned 4 yards to set up 3rd & 6 at the 45 yard line. On the 3rd down play, the Philly defense came up big with a sack of Jayden Daniels for an 8-yard loss, with Brandon Coleman getting beaten by Nolan Smith on the left side.

Tress Way punted to the 12-yard line, but Cooper DeJean had a good return to the 25 to set up the Eagles next drive.

Philly finally scores a touchdown
The Eagles picked up a quick first down, and then Jalen Hurts extended a play and hit AJ Brown for 17 yards to push the ball to the Washington 48-yard line.

The quarter came to an end with Eagles fans booing the officials for picking up a flag that they thought should have been enforced against the Commanders defense.

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter opened with Hurts scrambling for 7 yards on a 3rd & 7 to get an important first down at the Washington 38-yard line.

Four plays later, it was 3rd & goal at the Commanders 1-yard line. The next play was predictable; Hurts scored the touchdown on the ‘brotherly shove’ to cap an 11-play, 76-yard drive.

Following a failed PAT by Elliott, who is suffering through a very bad night, the score was 12-10 with exactly 12 minutes remaining in the game.

Commanders suffer a rare failure on 4th-down play
Behind for the first time in the game, Washington set up for its next offensive drive at the 30-yard line following an Austin Ekeler return.

After 8 plays and 3 first down conversions, on 4th & 2 at the Eagles’ 26-yard line, Dan Quinn opted to forego the field goal attempt to take the lead, keeping his offense on the field. On the play, Jayden Daniels kept the ball and was tackled for no gain, After opening the season 11-11 on fourth down attempts, the Commanders offense had now failed on back-to-back 4th down plays (Steelers & Eagles).

Eagles score another touchdown to expand their lead
Jalen Hurts, instead of taking the field behind on the scoreboard, took over at his own 26-yard line with a 2 point lead and about 8 minutes remaining. Washington’s defense would now have to step up and get a big stop.

On 2nd & 7, Dallas Goedert had a huge reception with a gain of 31 yards, but Quan Martin punched the ball out of his hands, forcing a fumble.

Unfortunately, the ball did not bounce the way Washington wanted and the Eagles recovered the ball at Washington’s 30-yard line.

Two plays later, on 3rd & 3, Saquon Barkley ran off right tackle unmolested into the end zone.

This time, Elliott slipped the ball between the posts to make the lead 9 points at 19-10 with just under 5 minutes left to play.

Washington’s offense has struggled all game, and now will need to score two times to win the game. The Dan Quinn decision to forego the field goal that would have given them the lead in a close game will certainly be talked about by fans all week — possibly all season.

For the second week in a row, Washington has given up a lead late in the game.

Disaster strikes for the Commanders
Jayden Daniels opened the drive with an interception — his 3rd of the season — by Reed Blankenship at Washington’s 46-yard line.

For all practical purposes, the game was over with this play, though 04:50 remained on the clock. Small chance had turned into no chance.

Dan Quinn started burning time outs and hoping for a defensive stop, but the ending feels inevitable at this point.

Eagles score third consecutive touchdown to pad the lead
Saquon Barkley hammered the final — at least I hope it’s the final — nail into the coffin with a 39-yard TD run. After the successful PAT, the score was 26-10.

The Eagles had a seemingly insurmountable 16-point lead with 04:38 remaining, but I doubt that Dan Quinn thought that way. Two touchdowns…two successful 2-pt conversions with a successful onside kick in between and the Commanders could force overtime.

A boy can dream, right?

Washington runs 15 plays and scores with 00:28 on the clock
The Commander ran some plays against a very soft Eagles defense and benefited from a roughing the passer penalty, but the clock kept moving.

At the two-minute warning, Washington faced 4th & 2 at the Eagles 24-yard line. They wouldn’t be kicking a field goal.

After the time out, Zach Ertz caught a pass for 4 yards and a first down. Three plays later, it was 1st & goal at the 5 yard line.

Washington scored on a Zach Ertz reception with 00:28 on the clock. The 2-point conversion failed and any chance for a miracle evaporated.

BUT WAIT…on further review, the ruling on the field was overturned; 2 points were awarded, and the score was suddenly 26-18!

With 00:28 on the clock, the Commanders weren’t dead yet. They’d come from behind to beat Chicago not long ago with a touchdown drive that took just 19 seconds.

But it was not to be. Dallas Goedert covered the onside kick; and Jalen Hurts only had to kneel down to secure the win.

Full Game Stats

Statistics via ESPN

---