Conference Championship Game Recap – Washington Commanders at Philadelphia Eagles
Washington’s Cinderella Run Ends in Philly Defeat 55-23
January 27, 2025
By Noonefromtampa
First Quarter
Philadelphia won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Washington came out throwing the ball. On first down, Jayden Daniels had to scramble for 1 yard and on second down he threw to Zack Ertz for 3 yards. On third and six, Daniels hit Terry McLaurin for 7 yards and the first down. After an incompletion, Daniels threw to John Bates for 4 yards and then to Olamide Zaccheaus for 7 yards and another first down. Brian Robinson gained 5 yards on the first running play of the day. After two incompletions, Daniels completed a pass to Ertz for 7 yards and the first down. Zaccheaus caught a 5 yard pass and Robinson ran for 3 yards, setting up a third and two. After an incompletion on third down, Daniels scrambled for 5 yards and the first down. After gaining 7 more yards, leaving Washington in another fourth down situation, Dan Quinn elected to attempt a field goal. Zane Gonzalez put a 34 yard kick through the uprights giving the Commanders a 3-0 lead. The drive lasted 18 plays and over seven minutes.
After a good return out to the 40 yard line, Saquon Barkley took a toss pitch around left end ran through several tackles, scoring a 60 yard touchdown run. Jake Elliot converted the extra point giving the Eagles a 7-3 lead. The drive lasted 18 seconds.
After Luke McCaffrey‘s 23 yard return, Austin Ekeler ran for 4 yards and Ertz caught a 5 yard pass over the middle. Robinson ran for 3 yards and the first down. Dyami Brown caught a screen pass and while struggling for extra yards had the ball punched out by Zack Baun and Reed Blankenship recovered at the Washington 48 yard line.
After A.J. Brown had a pass broken up by Marshawn Lattimore, Jalen Hurts hit Dallas Goedert for 10 yards and DeVonta Smith for 20 yards on the sideline. The Eagles hurried the next play to prevent a review of the catch with Kenneth Gainwell rushing for 3 yards. Brown caught an 11 yard pass down the 4-yard line and Barkley scored on the next play. The extra point was good, putting the Eagles ahead 14-3.
After the return, Robinson ran twice for 4 yards and Daniels threw into triple coverage to McLaurin but the ball fell incomplete. Tress Way came on to punt, but the Commanders ran a fake and Way threw 23 yards to Ben Sinnott for the first down. After Daniels was sacked for a 6 yard loss, he threaded the needle on a pass to Brown who gained 24 yards down to the Eagles 24 yard line. Robinson was stopped for no gain to end the quarter.
Second Quarter
Daniels overthrew a well-covered Brown in the end zone and had to throw the ball away on third down due to a heavy pass rush. Gonzalez hit a 46 yard field goal to cut the lead to 14-6.
After a 25 yard return of the kickoff, Jonathan Allen tackled Barkley for a three yard loss. Hurts threw to Brown for 15 yards to get a first down. After an incompletion and a false start penalty, Gainwell gained 8 yards on a checkdown. On third down and seven, Goedert caught a pass, broke a tackle and gained 15 yards. Gainwell gained 1 yard rushing and 8 yards on a reception, setting up the tush-push for the first down. Gainwell ran for 4 yards on first down and on second down Hurts had to throw the ball away. After a timeout by the Eagles, Frankie Luvu sacked Hurts for a 9 yard loss. Elliot was wide right on a 54 yard field goal attempt.
Daniels scrambled for 6 yards and on first down and threw to Bates over the middle for 7 yards. Robinson ran for 7 yards on first down. DeJean broke a screen to Brown on second down. With good protection, Daniels found McLaurin on a slant, he broke the tackled a threaded his way the Eagles secondary for a 36 yard touchdown. The two-point attempt failed with a pass to Ekeler being stopped short. The Eagles’ lead was cut to 14-12.
After a return of 21 yards, Smith gained 8 yards on a shovel pass. Barkley was stopped for a 1 yard gain leading to another tush-push play for the first down. Hurts scrambled for 2 yards on first down. Barkley ran for 10 yards running over Michael Sainristil. Hurts ran for no gain and Barkley picked up 5 yards, bringing up a third down. Jeremy Chinn‘s blitz forced an incompletion, but on fourth down Hurts found Brown in one-on-one coverage against Lattimore and he dropped a pass over him to Brown for 31 yards and the two-minute warning. The replay of Brown’s reception showed that Barkley should have been called for holding Luvu on the blitz. After Barkley ran for 2 yards, Hurts missed a pass to Goedert on which Lattimore could have been called for interference. The Eagles then were called for a false start, making third and 8 at the Washington 17 yard line. Smith dropped the catch in the end zone, but Lattimore was called for pass interference. The tush-push scored on the next play, with Lattimore getting called for unnecessary roughness. The two-point conversion failed. The Eagles lead increased to 20-12.
Jeremy McNichols fumbled the kickoff return, and the Eagles recovered. Goedert caught a 7 yard pass from Hurts. The Eagles were called for holding a Hurts touchdown run. After an incompletion, Barkley was stopped short of the first down, but Sainristil was called for unnecessary roughness, to give the Eagles a first down at the Washington 10 yard line. Barkley ran for 6 yards and then was stopped for no gain, but third down Brown caught the 4 yard touchdown pass. The extra point was good making the lead 27-12.
With 39 seconds left on the clock and no time outs, Washington went into a hurry-up offense. Ekeler caught a pass for 3 yards and Ertz caught an 8 yard pass. Jalen Carter was called for encroachment when he trucked Tyler Biadasz. Daniels scrambled for 19 yards, putting Washington into field goal range. Daniels found Ertz along the sideline for another 11 yards and Gonzalez nailed a 42 yard field goal to cut the lead to 27-15.
Time expired during the Eagles return.
Third Quarter
Hurts ran on the first play but lost 2 yards being pushed out by Bobby Wagner. Dorance Armstrong sacked Hurts for a 7 yard loss on second down. Goedert caught a screen for 9 yards, forcing the first Eagles punt. Braden Mann punted it 43 yards with no return.
Robinson ran for 2 yards, but Daniels was sacked for a 12 yard loss on second down. Ekeler gained 7 yards of the 20 needed for a first down. Way punted it 45 yards and DeJean had a 4 yard return.
The Eagles’ next scoring drive started with a 16 yard pass to Brown and followed with two passes to Goedert of 7 and 26 yards. That put the ball on the Washington 9 yard line where Hurts scored on a draw play. The extra point was good, increasing the lead to 34-15.
After the touchback, Daniels found Brown over the middle for 12 yards. Robinson ran for 6 yards up the middle and Jalen Carter was injured on the play. Daniels threw to an open Ertz for 21 yards. Carter returned to the game. Daniels hit Zaccheaus for 8 yards and ran for 7 yards down to the Eagles 12-yard line. Robinson for yards giving Washington a third and one. Daniels ran up the middle for the score. Washington converted a two-point conversion with Daniels a throw to Zaccheaus in the corner of the end zone. This cut the lead to 34-23.
The Eagles returned Washington’s kickoff for 24 yards. On third down, after a 5 yard run by Barkley and an incompletion, Hurts hit passes of 11 yards to Smith and Goedert. After another Barkley 5 yard rush and incompletion, Luvu blitzed and stopped Barkley for a 3 yard loss. The punt was touched in the end zone for a touchback.
Along with two incompletions, Daniels threw completions to Ertz for 16 yards and 13 yards. Ekeler caught a pass but had the ball punched out with Baun recovering.
Brown caught a 19 yard pass up the right sideline to end the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Goedert gain 9 yards on a jet sweep and the Barkley rambled for 22 yards with Chinn making the tackle at the 1 yard line. The game entered the twilight zone at this point after Washington stopped the tush-push on one play. Washington’s defense was called for multiple encroachment penalties and was warned that the officials could award a touchdown to the Eagles if it kept occurring. With that handicap, the Eagles easily scored on the next play. The extra point conversion made the lead 41-23.
After two incompletions, Daniels found Crowder for 4 yards and on fourth down hit Ertz for 8 yards. After an incompletion to Crowder, Ekeler lost 1 yard on a run play. After an incompletion, Daniels was sacked for a loss of 9 yards on fourth down.
Starting at Washington’s 31 yard line, Smith gained 6 yards on a shovel pass. Barkley was stopped for no gain on second down, Chinn was called for pass interference at the 8 yard line. Goedert ran for 4 yards and Barkley scored on the next play. With the successful extra point, the lead grew to 48-23.
Ekeler returned the kickoff 32 yards. Daniels completed passes to McLaurin for 8 yards and Ertz for 3 yards. After a 5 yard offside penalty and an incompletion, Daniels found Zaccheaus for 6 yards. Ekeler ran for 4 yards and Ertz caught a 10 yard pass on third down. After an incompletion and a no gain play, Quinyon Mitchell intercepted a pass intended for McLaurin in the end zone.
Will Shipley substituted for Barkley at this point and ran for 16 yards and 57 yards, with Benjamin St-Juste making the touchdown saving tackle at the Washington 7 yard line. Shipley ran for 2 yards and Luvu was called for another offsides penalty, which put the ball at the 2. Shipley scored on the next play. With the successful extra point, the lead became 55-23.
Marcus Mariota came in at quarterback on the next series with Washington having no hope of a miracle comeback. They ran the ball four straight times but came up three yards short turning the ball over on downs. The Eagles then knelt twice to end the game.
Thoughts
This team won many games because they made fewer mistakes than the other team. Today they made too many mistakes including allowing four touchdowns after turnovers.
Playoffs games are mainly about which team is healthier, and which team makes the fewest mistakes. Both contributed to Washington’s wins and loss in the payoffs.
Washington needs to greatly improve its defense in the offseason.
Next year it will be harder to repeat this level of success because they will have a harder schedule, and teams will know this team is coming to play.
The one positive to take away from today is that the game has finally changed for Washington and expect them to have more consistently competitive teams from now on.