Instant Reflections on the Season
January 29, 2025
by Steve Thomas
I don’t really have a plan for this column; at the time I’m writing this, it’s currently less than 30 minutes after the game ended, and I’m just going to use this space for my random thoughts on the team at this moment. No Takeaways column today. Here we go.
First of all, congratulations to the Washington franchise on their success this season – as everyone is aware, nobody – as is, absolutely no one – expected Washington to be anywhere near the NFC Championship game this year. The fact that the team got as far as they did is a testament to the quality of the organization that Josh Harris and Adam Peters built in a very short period of time.
The fact of the matter is, though, that right now, the Philadelphia Eagles are clearly the better team and deserved to win the game. Their defense is light-years ahead of Washington’s defense, Saquon Barkley was and is way too much for Washington’s terrible run defense, and Jalen Hurts versus Jayden Daniels is a push at best. That might not be true in the future as Daniels gains experience and continues to improve, but it was a falsehood for fans to suggest that Daniels was a noticeable advantage over Hurts. The truth is that Washington probably would’ve also lost the second matchup against Philadelphia if Hurts had stayed in that game. Throw in the fact that the game was in Philadelphia before a highly-charged fanbase, and this was always going to be a tall order for Washington.
Washington therefore needed to play a clean, error free game, control the clock, and limit the Eagles’ big plays in order to have a chance at a victory, and they failed at those tasks in most respects. It’s tough to overcome 4 turnovers, and make no mistake: the Eagles’ defense caused several of these turnovers, at least 2 of them. I’d also say that Washington’s multiple-offsides trainwreck at the end zone on the Eagles’ tush-push plays were ridiculous and an embarrassment. The point is, Washington failed to play at their best in this game, and they needed to do so in order to have a chance at getting the victory.
Washington’s biggest two weaknesses, which in my view are a weak offensive line and nearly league-worst run defense, very much impacted this game. They were unable to provide any room for their very average running back, Brian Robinson, to make a meaningful contribution to the game. He had 11 carries for 36 yards, which is an average of 3.3 yards per carry. That’s in the ballpark of what he’s averaged for many games this year; Robinson averaged less than 4.0 yards per carry in 8 of the regular season games he played this year. That isn’t close to good enough against the Eagles, who have the top-ranked defense in the league by many measures, but who were slightly less effective against the run than against the pass. And as far as the run defense goes, I don’t think I even need to say it, but . . . Saquon Barkley had 118 yards and Will Shipley had 77. As a team, the Eagles gained 229 rushing yards on 36 carries, which is 6.4 yards per carry.
Also, A.J. Brown was able to gain 96 receiving yards on 6 receptions, with most of those coming against Marshon Lattimore, who eventually lost his cool and hurt the team. Lattimore is a guy who hasn’t lived up to his lofty expectations so far. Hopefully a fully offseason in Washington’s offseason program will do him some good. Either that or he needs to get gone.
That sort of performance is nowhere near even close to being in the vicinity of the universe of good enough when the Super Bowl is at stake.
Offensively, it seemed like the moment may have been too big for Jayden Daniels. He didn’t play well, by his lofty standards. He wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t his usual commanding, outstanding self either. Daniels went 29 for 48, which is a 60.4% completion percentage, for 255 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, for an 83.2 quarterback rating. The Eagles’ relentless pressure got to Daniels at times – he was only sacked 3 times, but he didn’t always make wise decisions and missed throws he usually makes. Washington’s offensive line did a poor job in handling the Eagles’ defensive front and allowed a significant amount of pressure all day. This unit did make some progress this year as compared to last season, but they’ll need multiple replacements in order to bring this group up to an elite level, particularly since their best player, Samuel Cosmi, probably won’t be ready for the start of next season. Some extensive work will need to be done in the offseason, but that’s a topic for another day.
Like I said at the beginning, Washington has reason to be proud. They far exceeded all reasonable expectations, and for the first time in more than a generation, they seem to have a legitimate franchise quarterback under center. Just as important, the coaching staff seems to be good enough to be able to develop him in the right way. I’m not going to lie to you and pretend that my fandome is at the same level it was in the days of the Redskins, but I do believe that there’s real reason for optimism for this franchise, regardless of the failure of this NFC Championship game. So, to the team, the coaches, and the front office, I say, job well done. Let’s look forward to next season.