Commanders key numbers, NFC Championship: Dream scenario deferred not denied

An ugly ending to an undeniable season...

Terry McLaurin
Terry McLaurin | Lauren Leigh Bacho/GettyImages

The Washington Commanders' dream season came to a sudden halt in a crushing 55-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, denying the team its first Super Bowl berth since the 1991 season.

It wasn't the Cinderella ending that fans were hoping for. Considering this should be the worst roster rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels will ever have, the future looks bright. That feeling this fanbase has craved for so long has returned.

Hope. And for many fans, this was the first taste of success.

Let's not forget that nobody expected this team to be here. Many folks wrote off the Dan Quinn hire, questioning if the Commanders missed out on newly hired Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.

When the team signed Zach Ertz, Austin Ekeler, and Bobby Wagner, many reminisced about Dan Snyder bringing in so many washed-up stars in the past.

The pundits knew Daniels would be good, but the roster around him was questioned left and right. Sports Illustrated predicted a 6-11 finish. ESPN said the team would win under seven games. CBS Sports said the ceiling for this team was 8-9.

This team proved all the doubters wrong and was one game away from the Super Bowl. Think about that. Let that resonate. This is the same team that suffered more than 20 years of almost unwatchable football under Snyder. They deserve a standing ovation.

It hurts losing to the Eagles and seeing a division rival go to the Super Bowl. That doesn't take away from how special this season has been for Washington.

The comeback victories. The stable ownership. A franchise quarterback. A reinvigorated fanbase with a true home-field advantage. The progress to a new stadium in D.C. It's enough to bring a tear to your eyes. Don't let this one loss take away that feeling.

Let's get into the key numbers from what was ultimately the Commanders' final game of the season.

Commanders' key numbers from NFC Championship loss at the Eagles

4: The way this team plays, there is little to no margin for error — especially against the top-tier teams in the NFL. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, the offense had zero turnovers and the defense forced six for a +6 turnover ratio. On Sunday, the offense turned it over 4 times. That's not a recipe for success, especially against a team like the Eagles. They took advantage and scored 28 points off turnovers. That was ultimately the reason the game fell out of hand.

9: After having only eight combined penalties in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Commanders had 9 infringements in this game for 47 yards. At one point, the Commanders had three offside penalties in a row with the Eagles inside the one-yard line. This prompted a unique warning from the refs.

Washington was the most penalized team over the last three games of the regular season. That lack of discipline came back to bite them against Philadelphia.

48: The turning point of the game was the Eagles' fourth offensive drive. After the Commanders had pulled within two, Philadelphia was faced with a 4th-and-5 at Washington's 45-yard line.

There was an egregious hold on the play, which the refs completely missed, and the result was Marshon Lattimore getting burned by A.J. Brown for a 31-yard gain. Later on that drive, the cornerback had a 16-yard pass interference on 3rd-and-13, giving the Eagles a free first down at the one.

On the next play, Lattimore got into a fight with Brown and received an unnecessary roughness penalty. The drive ended with a touchdown for Philadelphia, with the four-time Pro Bowler accounting for 48 yards allowed on the drive. The Commanders fumbled on the kickoff return, giving the Eagles the ball back. Less than a minute later, they scored again, taking a 27-12 lead.

91.5: The Commanders' run defense was among the worst in the NFL, allowing 137.5 yards per game entering the playoffs. After only allowing 101 rushing yards against Tampa Bay, they allowed 201 rushing yards against the Lions, before conceding 229 against the Eagles.

Missing Daron Payne on the defensive line ended up being a major loss for Washington, which allowed 91.5 more rush yards, on top of their third-worst rushing defense. Saquon Barkley finished with 118 yards and three touchdowns, while the Eagles tied for the most rushing touchdowns in NFL playoff history with seven.

4: The Commanders' aggressive fourth-down play calling continued. The team converted 4 fourth-down conversions, tying an NFL playoff record. Special teams even got in on the action, with punter Tress Way completing a 23-yard pass to Ben Sinnott on 4th-and-6 late in the first quarter. The team ended the season with the best fourth-down conversion rate in the NFL.

2.36: Outside of the Commanders' touchdown in the second half, the team only had 71 total yards of offense across their other five drives, averaging an anemic 2.36 yards per play. The Eagles, on the other hand, outscored Washington 28-8 in the second half, securing touchdowns on three straight drives to put the game out of sight.

5: Jayden Daniels became the first rookie to pass for five touchdown passes in a single postseason. Three of those went to Terry McLaurin, who had a score in each of the Commanders' playoff contests.

The prolific wideout finished with 14 receptions for 227 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the postseason. And his connection with Daniels continues to grow stronger.

Frankie Luvu said it best, "Hell of a year. We know what this team is capable of."

With Adam Peters and Dan Quinn at the helm, a franchise quarterback in Daniels, seven draft picks, and a projected $87 million in salary-cap space, the Commanders have put the league on notice.

Despite the rough conclusion to the season, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

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