The Washington Commanders finished the regular season tied for the eighth-fewest turnovers. Their dream season continued with a 6-0 turnover advantage in their first two playoff games.
Then it all came crashing down in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Commanders turned the ball over four times -- once in each quarter -- as the Eagles ran roughshod over them, advancing to Super Bowl LIX.
Washington's minus-four turnover differential was a major reason why, leading to 28 Eagles points off those turnovers. It was also uncharacteristic for the young Commanders, who had taken care of the ball in recent games prior to Sunday's hemorrhaging.
"For the last seven weeks, really, we've lived in complementary football; that would be the turnover margin," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said. "We didn't create any opportunities for us and lost four, and 28 points off of those four turnovers. That was big. We knew that was going to be a big part of this game."
The Commanders might have come into the game plus-six in turnovers, including five takeaways forced against the Lions. But the Eagles also entered Sunday with a plus-six postseason mark, with no turnovers on offense, four forced against the Packers and two more against the Rams.
"Turnovers play a huge factor into a game, especially playing a good team like Philly," Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels said. "Can't give those guys extra possessions."
Daniels finished the game 29-of-48 passing for 255 yards with a touchdown and an interception -- his first since Week 17. He also ran for 48 yards and a score. Daniels' interception came with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, with Washington trailing by 25 points. By that point, the game was already out of hand.
Washington's three earlier fumbles put the Eagles in command of the game. Down, 7-3, Dyami Brown coughed the ball up on Washington's side of the field, leading to Saquon Barkley's second touchdown.
After Philly took a 20-12 lead late in the second quarter, the Commanders had a chance to tie the game before halftime. Instead, Jeremy McNichols fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and the Eagles tacked on another touchdown in less than a minute.
The Commanders had swung back momentum late in the third quarter, cutting Philadelphia's lead to 34-23, but Austin Ekeler was stripped near midfield. The game was all but over then.
"I don't want to have a feeling like this again," Daniels said.
Quinn said his own team's turnovers hurt, but not taking the ball away from the Eagles also needed to be factored in.
"The only way to get into the plus, you gotta create some, too," he said. "We'll give Philadelphia credit. They caused them. It wasn't a fumbled snap or something that was reckless, in that way. They caused 'em. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that's a good job by (Eagles defensive coordinator Vic) Fangio and their crew."
The Eagles seemed to have the magic formula against the Commanders this season. In three meetings, the Eagles forced 10 takeaways against Washington with only two turnovers of their own. In the Commanders' 17 other games, they had only 10 giveaways.
"We believed that we belong here," Daniels said. "Kudos to Philly. Hell of a team and good luck to them."
Even with the disappointment, Daniels believes there was plenty to be proud of from this season, vowing to learn from the moment.
"Obviously, it sucks. It just sucks," he said, "but I can't be prouder of the guys in the locker room. Year 1.
"We all just meshed. We got to this point, but at the end of the day we lost. It sucks, but we'll move on from this."
