After falling behind 10-0, the Washington Commanders scored 27 unanswered points to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 Sunday night to improve to 2-4-1. The penalties didn’t disappear after the bye, but Washington’s pass rush took over, and Rachaad White finished the job on the ground.
With McLaurin out and three defensive tackles unavailable, Washington needed contributions from the players taking on more work. Antonio Williams got involved early, Charles Omenihu made his return count, and Stevens answered his opening miss with four straight makes. Those contributions helped the Commanders overcome another night of costly mistakes and keep their season alive.
Here are my immediate reactions in this week’s Game Pulse.
*Game Pulse collects my instant takeaways after each quarter and at the final whistle.
Final Pulse – Eagles 10, Commanders 27
– Washington’s defensive front finished this game. Dorance Armstrong was still making plays against the run, and Odafe Oweh beat Jordan Mailata off the edge for a late sack. A season-high five sacks is the production Washington has needed from this group; Washington did it without Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw, and Jer’Zhan Newton, while holding Saquon Barkley to 30 yards on 13 carries.
– Antonio Williams’ 30-yard catch was excellent work finishing the play and keeping the ball off the ground. Washington needed somebody to make that catch, and the rookie delivered. Between his involvement on the touchdown drive and that fourth-quarter gain, Williams gave Jayden Daniels important completions at different stages of the game.
– Drew Stevens followed his opening miss with four straight makes, including the 42-yarder that gave Washington a two-score lead. Philadelphia went the other direction, backing itself up with penalties before Jake Elliott hit the upright. Washington benefited from that miss, then made the next possession count.
– K’Lavon Chaisson’s late sack helped put Philadelphia in a desperate situation, and Rasul Douglas took advantage when McKee floated a ball up for grabs. Chaisson’s penalties were costly, but he also helped Washington close this game. After having an earlier interception erased by a flag, the defense made this takeaway count.
– Rachaad White put it away. His 33-yard run set up the one-yard touchdown, and Washington finished with 27 unanswered points after falling behind 10-0. The penalties still need fixing, but the Commanders turned their last takeaway into a touchdown and finished the job on the ground.
Third Quarter Pulse – Eagles 10, Commanders 16
– Nick Cross and the left side of the defense blew up a run in the backfield, and Sonny Styles later helped hurry McKee into releasing the ball before Omenihu could get there again. Washington is making Philadelphia work for its yards despite the missing pieces up front.
– Charles Omenihu made his return count, beating two blockers for his first sack with Washington. Dorance Armstrong then forced a fumble that Omenihu recovered. Those are the kinds of disruptive plays Washington needed from its veteran defensive ends, and both delivered in the third quarter.
– Chig Okonkwo practically caught that 22-yarder with three fingers. After his first-quarter fumble, that was a good response and another reminder of what he can give this passing game when Washington gets him involved.
– The offensive line still found ways to make things harder. Another presnap flag, followed by Chris Paul getting beaten for a sack, brought back the same problems Washington spent the bye trying to fix. The offense has shown improvement tonight, but those mistakes keep limiting what it can do.
– Daniels’ 54-yard connection with Treylon Burks gave Washington a much-needed explosive play, and Stevens finished the possession with a 25-yard field goal. Washington had scored 16 unanswered points. You’d like a touchdown after a gain like that, but the Commanders were finally making Philadelphia chase them.
– Chaisson’s second personal foul was especially costly because it wiped out an interception at the end of the quarter. Washington had a chance to take the ball away again and instead gave Philadelphia another opportunity. The defense was doing enough to get off the field; that penalty kept it out there.
First Half Pulse – Eagles 10, Commanders 13
– Antonio Williams caught three passes on the touchdown drive, and Austin Ekeler added an 18-yard run around the outside. That’s a better look at how Washington can keep this offense moving without McLaurin. Williams gave Daniels somewhere to go with the ball, and Ekeler showed why getting him more involved made sense.
– The touchdown to Stefon Diggs was a well-designed use of traffic to create separation without drawing an offensive pass interference flag. That’s the pick/not-pick play you want down there. Blough helped free his receiver, Daniels delivered, and Washington finished the opportunity.
– Even after scoring, Washington couldn’t get through the extra point without another pre-snap penalty. Then K’Lavon Chaisson created pressure and forced a hurried throw, only to get called for a personal foul afterward. The offense showed some life in the second quarter, but the discipline problems keep following this team.
– Luke McCaffrey has helped Washington in the return game. Between his 44-yard kickoff return and 27-yard punt return, he’s giving the offense opportunities to work with a shorter field.
– Diggs cutting back inside on his late 20-yard catch was smart with timeouts available. Take the extra yards when Washington still has a way to stop the clock. Daniels took a hard hit along the way, but the Commanders got into position for Stevens’ 38-yard field goal and came away with points before halftime. Daniels looked like he was in some pain after the hit, but he stayed in the game.
First Quarter Pulse – Eagles 10, Commanders 3
– Two weeks to clean things up, and Washington still turned third-and-1 into third-and-11 with back-to-back false starts. Luke McCaffrey’s 44-yard opening return had set the offense up at midfield, but that opportunity ended with a missed field goal. The later ineligible receiver penalty and Chris Paul’s false start added to a quarter full of avoidable mistakes.
– The defense gave Washington something to work with on Philadelphia’s opening possession, getting Tanner McKee off his spot and forcing a three-and-out. With the defensive front missing so many pieces, that was an encouraging start. The offense needed to do more with the opportunities it was getting.
– Treylon Burks’ drop hurt, but Daniels had his own miss on the third-down throw to Stefon Diggs. Washington needs both its quarterback and receivers to finish those plays, especially with Terry McLaurin out. There were chances to keep possessions moving.
– Chig Okonkwo’s fumble added another mistake from a player Washington needs to lean on. He has become an important part of this passing game, which makes ball security even more important when the offense is already struggling to sustain drives.
– Drew Stevens answered his miss from 55 yards by hitting from 56. Good response from the rookie, but Washington keeps asking him to salvage possessions from a long way out. The offense has to give itself a chance to finish closer to the end zone.
Pregame Pulse
– Washington talked about getting calls in faster and giving Daniels more time at the line. I’ll be watching whether the offense gets lined up cleanly and whether first and second down leave it with manageable third downs. Those are changes that should show up before Washington is chasing the game.
– With three defensive tackles unavailable and Saquon Barkley cleared to play, this starts up front. Washington’s replacement tackles need to hold their ground so the linebackers can get to Barkley before he’s already five yards downfield.
– Antonio Williams could see more work without McLaurin, but I’ll be watching whether those opportunities come early enough to help the offense settle in. Stefon Diggs and Chig Okonkwo also need chances before Washington finds itself trying to throw its way out of another hole.
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