The play was supposed to go to Commanders tight end Zach Ertz but the Eagles gave Washington pre-snap coverage that dictated a Jayden Daniels pass to Jamison Crowder.
“We actually ran the play Friday in practice,” Crowder told Devin McCourty on Football Night in America. “Friday, it worked out the same way, we got the same coverage and I caught it Friday in practice. … When I lined up, I saw the same coverage I saw in practice. I was like, ‘I got a chance of getting the rock.’ So, I just tried to get around that ‘backer as fast as I could, and I looked and Jayden threw a nice pass, threw a dime right there.”
That dime, a 9-yard touchdown pass, came with six seconds left with Washington down, 33-28. After the ensuing two-point conversion, the Commanders became the first team to beat Philadelphia since September, 36-33. Afterward, Daniels said head coach Dan Quinn hammered home a winning mentality, despite the Eagles’ 10-game winning streak.
“It means a lot. We came a long way. DQ talked about this, this whole week. If we want to be one of the heavy hitters, we’ve got to go beat the top dogs,” said Daniels, who became only the third player in NFL history to reach five touchdown passes and 75 rushing yards in a game, joining Lamar Jackson (twice during his 2019 MVP season) and Cam Newton (during 2015 MVP season).
Washington trailed 27-14 entering the final period but outscored the Eagles, who entered tied for the league’s best scoring defense at 17.6 points allowed per game, by a 22-6 margin in the fourth quarter. And, incredibly, the Commanders (10-5) won the franchise’s first game with a turnover margin of minus-3 or worse since Nov. 4, 1990 (a 41-38 victory over the Lions). Daniels became the first Washington passer to throw for five touchdowns since Mark Rypien in 1991.
Daniels led a feverish Washington comeback with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Olamide Zaccheaus, who had zero touchdowns entering the day. With just over nine minutes remaining, Zaccheaus took advantage of a rare Eagles blown coverage and broke two tackles en route to a 49-yard score. And McCourty said on FNIA that Daniels not only took firm grasp of the race for Offensive Rookie of the Year, he also proved he could win by tapping into all of his weapons, not just Terry McLaurin.
“How about Zaccheaus?” McCourty said. “How about Crowder stepping up in the biggest moments of the game? When you take a rep from practice and both guys come to the line of scrimmage, see the same coverage and know, ‘This ball’s coming to me.’ He didn’t even look at Zach Ertz. Ertz was open on the play. He was like, ‘This is the same coverage. I’m going to Crowder.’ Game over.”
The game was all Philadelphia in the first quarter. After losing quarterback Jalen Hurts to a concussion on the 11th play of the game, the Eagles (12-3) still built a 21-7 first-quarter lead largely on the strength of the NFL’s leading rusher, Saquon Barkley. The Commanders couldn’t get a finger on Barkley during a 68-yard touchdown late in the first quarter. According to Pro Football Focus, Barkley this season has eight untouched touchdowns of at least 10 yards; no other player in the league has more than two.
But Daniels and the resilient Commanders didn’t flinch. They became the first NFL team in 25 years to win a contest in which they allowed at least 21 points in the first quarter and committed at least four giveaways. The last team to do that was Philadelphia, in a Week 1 victory over the Cardinals in 1999, Andy Reid’s first game as an NFL head coach. Washington actually had five turnovers, including four on its first nine possessions.
The Commanders, off to their best 15-game start since 1991, now prepare for a marquee game on the Week 17 NFL schedule. Daniels will face off with fellow rookie quarterback Michael Penix when Atlanta (8-7) visits Northwest Stadium on Sunday night.
Considered by many the NFL’s best team entering the day, Philadelphia fumbled an opportunity to clinch an NFC East title. The Eagles also saw their odds plummet with regard to earning the NFC’s No. 1 seed and homefield advantage after Detroit (13-2) blew out Chicago. The Eagles close the season with consecutive home games, against the Cowboys and the Giants.
For more information on the Commanders and Eagles, visit the Washington and Philadelphia team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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