Four Downs with the Commanders: Failing against Philly
Well, didn’t Northwest Stadium at least have a Christmas vibe? Unfortunately, the green and red wasn’t the holiday season ringing out.
The color combination was a result of the preponderance of Philadelphia Eagles fans in the stands rooting their team on to a 29-18 win over Washington that clinched a division title for the visitors and moved the Burgundy and Gold one step closer to packing up their gear for the winter.
But on the bright side, they’re now in line to pick seventh in the upcoming NFL draft (recent selections include Tyree Wilson by Las Vegas). The last time Washington chose seventh, they picked future Hall of Fame (but primarily with somebody else) cornerback Champ Bailey in 1999.
First down: Just when you thought that playing out the string would involve so many second, third and fourth-stringers? Marcus Mariota’s hand and quad injury have the backup quarterback in the land of limbo, with Josh Johnson (5-9 passing for 43 yards and an interception in Saturday’s loss) and Sam Hartman (zero regular-season appearances in almost two years on the practice squad) in the mix.
Unless they opt for what’s behind door No. 3. Meanwhile, offensive linemen Sam Cosmi (concussion) and Brandon Coleman (shin) are question marks for the five-day turnaround. Jaylin Lane’s ankle has the rookie wide receiver/kick returner up in the air for Thursday.
Second down: Brace yourself for an underwhelming Christmas, with four of the six teams playing Thursday already eliminated from playoff contention. Dallas (6-8-1) is the only new resident on “elimination island,” although the Baltimore Ravens inched toward the precipice with their come-from-ahead 28-24 loss to New England on Sunday night.
The Patriots, Seattle, Chicago and San Francisco all secured playoff berths in Week 14 while Philadelphia (10-5) became the first team to win the NFC East in consecutive seasons since the Eagles ruled the roost from 2001-04. The New York Giants (2-13) have wrapped up last place for the second straight season (and fifth time in nine years).
Third down: Washington converted on 2-10 attempts, with Mariota completing 1-4 passes for one conversion (while getting sacked once) and Johnson going 1-3 with one conversion and one interception. Bill Croskey-Merritt and Chris Rodriguez both had third-down carries that failed to meet the marker.
The top target? Treylon Burks was thrown to three times (not including a fourth where a pass interference was called), although he didn’t notch a third-down catch.
Yardage breakdown: 1-3 on short-yardage, 0-2 when needing four to six yards, 1-5 on third-and-long.
Flag on the play: Washington was whistled nine times with two penalties declined (one because another foul occurred on the same play) and two offsetting (the disqualification scrum in the fourth quarter).
Two of the accepted penalties were on offense (holding and false start), while the three accepted defensive penalties were illegal contact, pass interference and an offside.
The only repeat offender this week was Jeremy McNichols, who had a false start accepted and a hold declined. For the season, there have been 27 false starts and 17 offensive/special teams holds called against the Commanders.
Most costly penalty? Will Harris’ illegal contact on a fourth-down play in the third quarter that would have given Washington the ball at their own 38 but instead gave the Eagles a first-and-10 at the Commanders’ 33. Philly would take the lead for good on that possession.
Fourth down: After drawing FOX’s No. 2 team of Joe Davis and Greg Olsen on Saturday, they’ll appear on Netflix on Thursday with the hybrid team of Ian Eagle (No. 2 announcer for CBS) plus Nate Burleson and Matt Ryan.
I’m not surprised anymore but I am always in wonder when late-season games are being handled by what amounts to combination teams in the booth. One would figure that for the late-December matchups that are being broadcast nationwide, you’d have announcers who were working together all season.