Commanders’ Dan Quinn looking to build off NFC title game appearance

The Washington Commanders‘ dream season came to a sudden end in the NFC Championship Game, as they fell to the Philadelphia Eagles 55-23.

Washington jumped out to a lead at the end of its first possession, settling for a field goal after getting two fourth-down conversions. It was all downhill from there, though. Saquon Barkley rushed for a 60-yard score on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage and Dyami Brown fumbled on the ensuing Commanders’ possession, allowing Philadelphia to take a quick 14-3 lead.

There was a brief moment when the Commanders got within a score. Jayden Daniels threw a 36-yard touchdown to make it 14-12 in the second quarter, but the Commanders weren’t able to convert on a two-point conversion. The Eagles extended their lead to 20-12 on the ensuing drive, and the Commanders fumbled on the kickoff return. That allowed Philadelphia to add to its lead and go up 27-15 at halftime.

Bad plays continued to snowball for the Commanders in the second half, and the closest they were able to cut the Eagles’ lead to was 11 points. As the fourth quarter played out, it became evident that the clock was about midnight on Washington’s season. 

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn recognized the pain of losing in the NFC Championship Game when he spoke with FOX Sports’ Tom Rinaldi afterward. However, he also wanted his team to appreciate what it has accomplished this season. 

“These are hard moments in a competitor’s life,” Quinn said when asked what he told his team. “The second thing that I said to them was to savor this time with their teammates. They’ve created something together, this brotherhood, that’s second to none. Not every locker room is the same year to year. So, I wanted to make sure they took a few minutes to know what they have created here and, hopefully, that’s the type of style and energy we want to play with for years to come.”

The Commanders’ surprise run to the NFC Championship Game followed a regular season that practically no one expected. Washington went 12-5, improving its win total by eight with Quinn and rookie quarterback Daniels in their first seasons with the team. 

There were some miraculous wins for the Commanders along the way, such as their Hail Mary touchdown at the buzzer to beat the Chicago Bears in October. But as the season progressed, the Commanders established themselves as one of the top teams in the NFC, getting a remarkable win over the Eagles in Week 16. They also won at the buzzer against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the opening round of the postseason before decisively beating the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the divisional round.

Those wins pushed the Commanders’ win streak to seven games, but they were thoroughly outplayed by the Eagles on Sunday. Philadelphia out-gained Washington 459 yards to 350 while the Commanders committed four turnovers without forcing any. 

Quinn praised his team and tipped his cap to the Eagles for the game they played on Sunday.

“It’s a fantastic group. I’ve had an absolute blast coaching these guys,” Quinn said. “There’s some real competitors. Let’s give the credit to Philadelphia tonight. NFC Championship year in their spot. We played good, complementary ball for seven weeks. We didn’t do that today.”

Even though the Commanders’ season ended in a thud, they’re trending in the right direction, which hasn’t happened much since their last Super Bowl win in 1991. Following the rookie season Daniels had, Washington winning a Super Bowl in the foreseeable future feels more plausible than it has in a long time.

Quinn seemed to sense that, too. 

“There’s a lot of lessons that we’re going to take from this year that we’ll use for years to come,” he said. “It stings tonight, as it should. But I’m proud of that locker room, who they’ve become as ballplayers and as men.”

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