Commanders Defensive Fatigue vs. Eagles Illustrated by Key Next Gen Stat

The Washington Commanders defense fought hard against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night, but eventually succumbed to the fatigue that comes with constantly being on the field.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball in front of Washington Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (1) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Some will say the Washington Commanders' defense collapsed in the second half of their Thursday night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Others will say it was bound to happen given the disparity between the two team's time of possession where the Commanders were outpaced by over six minutes.

Regardless of why it happened, the Eagles wore down Washington and got their eighth win of the year and one key Next Gen Stat illustrates just how different things got in the second half of Week 11.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball in front of Washington Commanders cornerback Noah Igbinoghene (1) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

"Jalen Hurts completed all of his final eight passes against the blitz for 109 yards after starting the game by going 0-for-2 and taking two sacks," NFL.com's Eric Edholm observed in his postgame notes column. "When facing four or fewer pass rushers, he completed 10 of his 18 passes for 112 yards. In the second half, Hurts was not pressured on any of his 11 dropbacks and completed eight of his nine throws for 120 yards (+7.5% CPOE)."

The difference in ability to get pressure on Hurts is astounding but not surprising when you factor in the fatigue that set in from that time of possession battle and the fact that the Commanders and Philadelphia were playing on a short week.

In Week 10, in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Washington defense was on the field nearly 13 full minutes longer than its counterparts. Even in a win against the New York Giants in Week 9 the defense was on the field for the majority of the game.

Not since Week 8 has the Commanders' offense won the time of possession battle, and as well as the defense has done considering, clearly it took a major toll in Week 11.

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