Eagles-Commanders Stock Market: Late-Game Collapse In Landover

What was shaping up as an easy one early turned into a late-game collapse by the Eagles.

Dec 22, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) catches a touchdown pass against Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

LANDOVER, MD - The Eagles were a routine DeVonta Smith catch from clinching the NFC East and keeping the pressure on the other top contenders for the top seed in the conference.

An uncharacteristic drop by the Eagles' star receiver kept the door open for Washington in what turned into an unlikely 36-33 comeback win for the Commanders.

Ultimately a Jayden Daniels dart to Jamison Crowder. the rookie quarterback's fifth touchdown pass of teh afternoon, with six seconds remaining sealed things for 10-5 Washington, which kept the NFC East in doubt for at least one more week and halted Philadelphia's franchise-record 10-game winning streak.

The Eagles (12-3) lost starting quarterback Jalen Hurts less than six minutes into the game to a concussion and played a sloppy game from there with 10 penalties, including two unsportsmanlike calls on playmaking safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the second of which disqualified the veteran from the game and forced little-used safety Tristin McCollum onto the field.

"Respectfully got kicked out for nothing, I play with passion and fire!! Guys was chirping all day what u expect !!" Gardner-Johnson wrote on social media sfter the game.

Daniels' throw to Crowder was a brilliant one with Zack Baun in coverage underneath and Reed Blankship and McCollum bracketing Crowder.

For what it's worth Blankenship, the secondary's leader, saw what was unfolding and tried to alert the rest of the defensive backfield but insisted on taking accountability, noting he had to get the group on the same page earlier.

THE BULLS

KENNY PICKETT - Any time you lose your starting quarterback less than six minutes into the game, it's an issue. Kenny Pickett persevered, finishing an early touchdown drive by finding A.J. Brown on three consecutive completions and then doing enough from there to keep the Eagles in the game.

When Pickett left the field for the final time he had the Eagles on top and that's exactly what you want from a backup signal caller.

TAKEAWAYS - The Eagles' defense generated a season-high five turnovers on the afternoon, interceptions by Gardner-Johnson and Blankenship, and three fumbles forced by Jalen Carter, Cooper DeJean, and Zack Baun.

You generally aren't losing many games where you generate five turnovers so this was a very strange outcome and probably a little easier to flush from a performance standpoint due to a host of outliers.

HIDDEN YARDAGE - In a mistake-filled game by Washington, A.J. Brown's ability to create hidden yardage by drawing defensive pass interference calls on Marshon Lattimore stood out. On the Eagles' first drive of the second half, Brown generated 61 of 69 yards during a drive that resulted in a 24-yard Jake Elliott field goal that extended Philadelphia's lead to 24-14.

On the Eagles' next drive in which Elliott hit from 40 to make it 27-14, Brown again extended the drive by drawing a DPI.

In a game where Philadelphia lost Hurts at the 9:15 mark of the first quarter, the Eagles needed unique ways to generate offense and Brown was able to provide it.

THE BEARS

DISCIPLINE - Whether you agree or not CJGJ has to play it more cautiously when it comes to taunting. He needs to be on the field in big situations and even overreaching officials can't affect that is he's smarter with his behavior.

COMPLEMENTARY COLLAPSING - The Eagles needed miscues on all three phases to lose this one. The fourth-quarter drops by Smith and Saquon Barkley on a wheel route were unacceptable and both players took accountability for them after the game.

The game-winning drive itself was helped along by the Smith drop, poor kickoff coverage that was a problem all afternoon and aided by a Sydney Brown illegal formation penalty, and finally miscommunication on the back end, which has been a rarity this season.

Earlier, sloppiness contributed to the Commanders’ first lead early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles were caught with 12 men on the field with Darius Slay trying to race off and Kelee Ringo staying in only to drop coverage on former Eagles Olamide Zaccheaus, who pulled away in between coverage before shaking Blankenship for a 49-yard TD.

MORE NFL: Eagles Miss Chance To Clinch NFC East, Lose Jalen Hurts Early, Fall To Commanders