The Washington Commanders’ season has largely been defined by the games that got away.
Losses to the Chicago Bears and New York Giants were particular embarrassments, given the state of those teams entering those games, and they had to fight to the finish against the woeful Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos.
But amid those lowlights, the team’s best performance of the year was arguably in a 34-31 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, which lends at least a little optimism to Sunday’s rematch at FedEx Field.
Receiver Terry McLaurin alluded to an overtime instant replay review that could have given the Commanders a crack at the victory, but ruled that he was out of bounds on a third-down pass after his foot rolled on the arm of an Eagles defender.
“We were just a forearm away,” he said.
McLaurin said in a game with this much familiarity, the margins for error will shrink. He noted that Washington has had good moments, but not enough of them, and not grouped together.
“The teams who know how to be consistent and how to make the tough plays are the teams you’re gonna see continue to win and be in position to make the playoffs,” he said. “So if you still want to have a chance to be one of those teams, which I believe that we can, we’ve got to start doing it on a more consistent basis.”
One inconsistency in the first meeting was the play of rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., who was benched five days later midway through another tough game against the Bears.
It’s unlikely Forbes is put back out against A.J. Brown this week, though he played a few snaps against the Giants, and could slowly return to a larger role in the defense.
Defensive lineman Jonathan Allen thinks keeping Philly quarterback Jalen Hurts in check will be important. Hurts injured his knee during the Eagles’ win last week over Miami, but is not listed on Philadelphia’s injury report and is expected to play.
“We’re excited about Philadelphia, and we know we can play with them,” Allen said. “We’ve seen what we’ve done in the past years, and we’ve just got to go out and execute.”
Allen was referencing one of the biggest wins of the coach Ron Rivera era, as the Commanders gave the Eagles their first loss last year after Philly opened the season with eight straight wins.
Washington also earned its lone playoff appearance under Rivera by defeating the Eagles in 2020, though that game was overshadowed by accusations the Eagles were “tanking” for a better draft pick.
Sunday’s game is also likely to be the first of the new ownership era in Washington where the Commanders don’t enjoy a decisive home-field advantage.
Philadelphia fans are known for traveling well, and with a successful team, it’s likely they are well represented at FedEx Field.
“Fans want to support a winner, a consistent winner, and I understand that aspect of it as well,” McLaurin said.
For Washington, a major story will continue to be the growth of quarterback Sam Howell. The Eagles sacked Carson Wentz nine times in Washington last year, and enter Sunday’s game ranked No. 2 in the NFL in defensive pressure by Next Gen Stats.
During Thursday’s practice, Tyler Larsen was working as the team’s center instead of Nick Gates. There may still be a role for Gates, though, who can play guard - starting left guard Saahdiq Charles is currently injured.
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