Commanders end the Eagles undefeated season!!
The Washington Commanders beat the Philadelphia Eagles 32-21. The Commanders played the most complete game this season last night against the Eagles. They controlled the ball for most of the game, which kept Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense on the sideline for 40 plus minutes. Then on the defensive side of the ball they forced four turnovers and scored 16 points off them. If the Commanders can play like they did last night they can beat anyone left on the schedule.
Offense
This was the offenses best game of the season so far. The Commanders won time of possession 40:24 to 19:36. They controlled the ball so well because they ran the ball effectively and converted on third downs. The offense was able to convert on third downs because most of the third downs were third and short situations.
Now how were they able to get in third and short situations. One they only committed one penalty on offense, which was a false start. This allowed the Commanders to stay in front of the chains. Second they didn’t give up a bunch of sacks. They only gave up three sacks total. Two came on third down and the other was a sack fumble on a first down on the first drive of the game. Third and final the Commanders ran the ball well and stuck with it. The commanders ran the ball 49 times Monday night and ran for an average of 3.1 yards per carry. Doing all three of these things is what allows you to control the ball and move it efficiently.
Finally Heinicke got the ball to Terry more today. Terry had a game leading 128 receiving yards on 8 catches. Five of his eight catches came on third down for a total of 71 yards. He didn’t have as many touches as I would’ve liked, but it was the most catches he has had all season. Hopefully he continues to get the ball more and more as the season goes on.
Defense
The Commanders defense played well last night. They forced four turnovers, which allowed the offense to kill the clock more. The most impressive thing the defense did was hold AJ Brown to seven receiving yards on one catch. In the week three meeting AJ Brown had 85 receiving yards and a touchdown, so holding him to seven yards this game is impressive.
Like in week three the Commanders held the Eagles to under 100 rushing yards again. They are the only team to hold the Eagles under 100 yards so far this season. This was one of my biggest keys of the game for the defense and they answered. Jon Allen and Darron Payne have been outstanding this season and I expect it to continue. Also it looks like Payne will get a big pay day after this season, but I don’t think it will be with the Commanders. Finally the defense didn’t give up any big plays. In week three they got beat deep multiple times. Last night the Commanders got beat one time, but forced a fumble and got the ball back. If they can do this the rest of the season this defense will only get better.
Special Teams
Joey Slye went 4/4 on field goal attempts and 2/2 on extra points. His biggest kick was right before half from 58 yards, which gave the Commanders a 20-14 lead at halftime. He would make another long field goal from 55 yards half way through the fourth quarter and gave the Commanders a 26-21 lead. Without Slye I don’t think the Commanders win this game. Also his ability to make long kicks is a game changer for this team.
Wrap Up
This was the Commanders best win of the season so far, but it means nothing if they don’t keep winning. They have the Houston Texans next week in Houston. They need to win this game and start stacking wins. The schedule for the rest of the season is not very difficult. If they played like they did last night they can get to 10 or 11 wins and make the playoffs.
