The Washington Commanders, by all rights, should have wiped the floor with a Dallas Cowboys team that was starting Cooper Rush at quarterback and getting ready to enter a prolonged tank. Instead, they lost in a uniquely painful that would not have been out of place in the Jay Gruden era.
Limping to the fourth quarter amid a subpar performance from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, the Commanders left four points on the board after deadeye kicker Austin Seibert missed an extra point and had a field goal blocked. After trading second-half touchdowns to make it 20-17, that's when the special team fell apart.
Washington let Dallas take a 27-17 lead after KaVontae Turpin ran a kick back 99 yards for a touchdown. After recovering enough to kick a field goal and get the ball back deep in their end zone, Daniels linked up with Terry McLaurin for the type of 86-yard touchdown pass that defines seasons and careers.
COMMANDERS 86-YARD TOUCHDOWN WOW
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Just a few seconds after the score made it 27-26, Seibert blew another extra point. On the ensuing onside kick, Washington allowed Dallas to return it for a touchdown. The 34-26 scoreline would hold, putting a huge emphasis on what special teams coordinator Larry Izzo cooked up in this game.
Commanders choke vs. Cowboys thanks to kicking, special teams blunders
Izzo is a well-respected special teamer, as he was a Pro Bowler consistently with the New England Patriots. He has overseen special teams units on the Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks dating back as far as 2016. This makes it all the more confusing as to why things went so wrong in this one.
Seibert may deserve a slight mulligan. He has been one of the most accurate kickers in the league before this game and helped Washington get off to such a hot start. He was also in his first game back from injury.
However, the kicker may be the most easily replaceable position in the league. The Commanders need to show him they can't tolerate too many more of these woeful performances.
While Daniels didn't play his best game, it's hard to thumb one's nose at a performance that featured 349 total yards and three touchdowns against a division rival. The McLaurin play should have at least led to overtime instead of a painful kick below the belt for Commanders fans.
While Washington is still in a playoff spot, and the overall performance of Daniels gives them a foundation for the future, they have now lost three straight. There's a good chance they either limp into the postseason or miss it altogether.