Thursday night's 26-18 Philadelphia Eagles victory over rival Washington came with a clear pivot point: Commanders coach Dan Quinn electing to go for it on fourth down midway through the fourth quarter.
Facing fourth-and-2 at the Eagles' 26-yard-line with 8:01 to play, the Commanders were down 12-10. A 44-yard field goal could have given Washington a lead in a low-scoring affair. Instead, Quinn opted to go for it. Failure ensued.
Jayden Daniels failed to catch a wonky snap, throwing off the entire timing of the QB-keeper, and he was stuffed well short of the first down marker. Five plays later, Saquon Barkley was dancing in the end zone, and the Eagles had a two-possession lead.
"Bold call, but I would also say we were prepared for that moment," Quinn said of the fourth-down decision. "Didn't love the execution, but we've been an excellent fourth down team. So going into it, we knew we would have to take our shots against a tough division team on the road. We thought that was an appropriate one. Certainly didn't like the execution or the result, but we were prepared for that. And being bold in those moments, knowing we'd have some fourth downs. But that's one we could fix."
The Commanders entered the game 11 of 12 on fourth downs, bolstering Quinn's point. However, taking the points -- and a lead -- would have been optimal in this case. Even analytics (incorrectly shamed for the perception it always suggests going for it on fourth down) . Kicking would not only have given Washington a lead, but also, after a subsequent touchdown, the Commanders wouldn't have been down two possessions.
Daniels wasn't second-guessing his coach after the Commanders' second loss this week.
"I trust the coaching staff and the decision they made," Daniels said. "I'm always a part of, 'Hey, let's go for it.' I trust my teammates. I trust the unit. So, I always trust the coaches. I never question them."
The other game-management concern from Washington came with a seemingly lackadaisical final drive. Down 16 points, the Commanders took 4:10 off the clock to score and convert the two-point try. At that point, even with two timeouts in their pocket, they needed a low-percentage onside kick prayer that wasn't answered. Getting the ball with 4:38 remaining, had they scored quickly -- ideally before the 2-minute warning -- Quinn's squad might have had a shot at another possession late.
The coach said that despite how it looked -- Daniels taking short passes and Washington taking 15 plays to score -- the Commanders were indeed trying to go swiftly.
"Yeah, we were trying to," Quinn said. "Honestly, it wasnf't about going slow or that part. So yeah, we wanted to get the score in quick. Try to get it in before the two minute, for sure."
They failed miserably.
Daniels struggled for the second consecutive game, missing several passes short, and the offense never found a rhythm. With Dallas and Tennessee next on the docket, the 7-4 Commanders hope to turn things around down the stretch.
"We knew that adversity would come," Quinn said. "It just does. That's our game. That's why we love it so much. There's hard parts, and tonight's hard. And in fact, I even said that. The last two games were tough. They test your resolve, and they build some of your resilience. It's a difficult four or five-game stretch, whatever it is. And it also emphasizes the ability to go close it, be there at the end and go win it. Those are the lessons for us to say to be the team we can be."
The loss pushed Washington two games back of Philly in the NFC East and currently into the No. 7 seed in the conference.
