The Washington Commanders woke up in second place in the NFC East on Monday morning. Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Commanders’ third of the season, allowed the rival Philadelphia Eagles to slip into the top spot in the division.
The 7-3 Commanders don’t have time to dwell on the 28-27 loss, though. A high-stakes trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles awaits on Thursday.
“It is a hard turnaround, but this team is, they’ll be itching to play. I can promise you that,” Commanders coach Dan Quinn said Monday. “You have that taste where you’re just mad.”
After Sunday’s game, several Commanders said the loss will provide extra motivation in a short week of preparation.
“[Guard Sam Cosmi] told us to let this one hurt; don’t just brush it over,” cornerback Benjamin St-Juste said after the game. “Let this one hurt so you can bring that motivation and that pain to Philly on Thursday.”
Quinn relied on a routine throughout training camp and the regular season to keep his team level. That routine is thrown into disarray this week with just 97 hours separating the loss to the Steelers and the kickoff in Philadelphia.
In any week, the Commanders observe a “24-hour rule.” Players have one day to savor the thrill of a victory or recover from the agony of a defeat. Then they move on. Sunday’s loss might provide some additional motivation.
That process is accelerated with a short week ahead of a Thursday night game.
“Watch film, watch film, chill, watch football, play video games,” rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels said of his plans for the 24 hours following the loss. “Move on to the next.”
The players won’t have a full day off until Friday. They were back in the building on Monday for their weekly film review and will practice on Tuesday and Wednesday.
While Washington will enter Thursday’s game recovering from a tough loss, Philadelphia is riding high.
The Eagles have won five straight, including three consecutive blowout wins on the road. Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys, a 34-6 beatdown, allowed Philadelphia to rest its starters in the fourth quarter ahead of Thursday’s showdown.
“That’s always big. That adds up,” Eagles coach Nick Sirriani said. “That’s huge going into this game; we know we’ve got a tough game coming up.”
The Commanders have no such luxury. Several players, including running back Brian Robinson and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, missed Sunday’s game with injuries. They’ll have little time to rest before hitting the practice field again.
“We got a big, deep crew and we’ll roll hard, but you do have to be selective in the way of how to touch the speed this week,” Quinn said Monday.
The coach noted that he likely won’t know until Wednesday whether Robinson, Lattimore and injured offensive tackles Cornelius Lucas and Andrew Wylie will be able to start.
Thursday’s matchup carries enormous weight for Commanders after the Steelers dumped cold water onto their hot start.
With a win, the Commanders would regain the division lead and find themselves in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the season. A loss would sink the upstart squad to 7-4, 1 1/2 games back in the NFC East, likely forcing them into a fight for a wild-card spot in the season’s final six games.
The Commanders swept the New York Giants earlier this season to start 2-0 in intradivision play. But after losing to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, the Giants rank among the worst teams in the league. The division-leading Eagles (7-2) present a more troublesome test.
“I’m fired up about it; I can tell you that. It’s cool. It’s better than the alternative of not talking about big games,” Quinn said. “This is what division games should be, man. An absolute blast, Philadelphia and Washington battling for it. Like, hell yeah, more.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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