The Washington Commanders needed composure across the board during their NFC Championship clash with the Philadelphia Eagles. They did relatively well keeping their emotions in check, but cornerback Marshon Lattimore was a different story.
Lattimore's never been found wanting for effort and aggression throughout his prolific career. The Commanders made a daring trade for the four-time Pro Bowler before the deadline to give their secondary some added intensity. Injuries dented his progress, but he showed signs of life against the Detroit Lions to raise optimism heading into another battle with Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown.
It didn't take long for tempers to flare. Lattimore got burned by Brown on a fourth-down conversion that saw a blatant hold by running back Saquon Barkley missed by the officials. The former first-round pick was then called for a controversial defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone. This two-play sequence on the same drive caused the Ohio State product to lose his cool.
Marshon Lattimore had a second quarter to forget vs. the Eagles
And it was no surprise to see Brown also in the mix. The pair clashed on a short-yardage touchdown with some after-the-whistle activities. Lattimore and the physical pass-catcher got into it, with the defensive back called for the infringement despite Brown's aggression causing his helmet to fly off.
This enraged Lattimore and rightfully so. It was another disaster for the cornerback, who had no answer for Brown and lacked the discipline needed to keep things on an even keel.
It wasn't all bad from Lattimore, but the Commanders no doubt expected more. They believed he could be the difference in games like this. Sadly, his first-half effort did exactly that for all the wrong reasons.
Lattimore should know better. He's an experienced player who's been involved in plenty of big games before. But cool heads did not prevail.