PHILADELPHIA — The Commanders suffered a tough fourth-quarter loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in prime time on Thursday night.
After three quarters of uninspired offense by the Eagles, Saquon Barkley and Jaylen Hurts led them to 20 points in the fourth.
The Eagles (8-2) won their sixth straight since their bye. The Commanders are now 7-3 after their second-straight loss. A failed gamble of fourth-and-two allowed the Eagles to take over on downs and stretch their lead. It's a call Dan Quinn defended in a post-game press conference.
“To be the heavy hitters that we want to be, you've got to be able to close,” Quinn said. “How do you learn the lesson to close? That's what we're going to become. You knew this adversity was coming. It just does.”
Jayden Daniels finished 22 of 32 for 191 yards and a late touchdown pass. He was intercepted by safety Reed Blankenship late in the fourth, setting up Barkley's second TD.
As for the decisive fourth-down call, Daniels said, “I'm always a part of, hey let's go for it.”
Despite the loss, Commanders we spoke to outside Lincoln Financial Field were excited for the direction the team is headed overall. John is a longtime fan of the Washington franchise.
"I'll tell you, I cut myself with a chainsaw 20 years ago, and burgundy and gold bled out of my leg, it was unbelievable," he said.
John said he is staying positive for the future of the franchise.
"I am so fired up about the new regime — Dan Quinn, Jayden Daniels, Terry McLaurin, I love him. We're fired up. We've been in the wilderness for far too long."
For those wondering, John's son Sam confirmed what he called "the chainsaw incident." Sam was tailgating as part of his bachelor party weekend.
"I remember the chainsaw incident. He bled burgundy and gold. My mom screamed at him for getting blood on the seat of the minivan. The stain is still there," Sam said.
He also said he is looking forward to seeing how Daniels develops as a quarterback.
"Jayden Daniels. He's the truth. I could tell it before he even threw the first pass against Tampa Bay, the way he was just walking out chewing on his mouth guard like Steph Curry. The guy is just cool as ice, man," he said.
The loss isn't changing these fans' outlook.
"Win, lose or tie, I'm a Commanders fan until I die," Sam said.
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