Capital Punishment

LANDOVER, Md. – The Eagles (2-6) were unable to rebound in prime time against another divisional opponent, falling to the division rival Washington Commanders (2-4-1), 27-10 at Northwest Stadium.

Any chance the Eagles had at putting a dent into the Commanders’ 16-10 fourth quarter lead evaporated during a two-play sequence with just over nine minutes to play.

Faced with a 4th-and-3, rookie right tackle Markel Bell was called for a false start, bringing on kicker Jake Elliott to attempt a 36-yard field goal. The kick was successful, but an illegal formation call on left tackle Jordan Mailata took the points off the board. Elliott would then attempt a 41-yarder that would clang off the left upright.

The Eagles came up empty, returning possession to the Commanders, who drove 45 yards and extended their lead to nine on a 42-yard Drew Stevens field goal.

On the Eagles’ ensuing possession, quarterback Tanner McKee, looking for wide receiver Darius Cooper, was intercepted by former Eagles cornerback Rasul Douglas, returning possession to the Philadelphia 37 with 2:28 left to play.

The Commanders scored on a three-play, 37-yard drive, capped by a one-yard plunge from running back Rachaad White and a successful two-point scamper from his counterpart, Austin Ekeler, delivering the proverbial knockout blow in another deflating loss.

The defense rebounded nicely to start, keeping Washington off the board on their first three possessions, but the missed tackles and apparent communication breakdowns continue to be a common theme.

The lack of pressure up front afforded Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who wasn’t particularly sharp on this night, too much time in the pocket to deliver the ball to open receivers. While the defense shouldered the brunt of the criticism coming off of Monday night’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday night in Landover was a collective effort.

“This one sucks,” running back Saquon Barkley said after the game. “They all suck. The mindset is the team will stay together. But in reality, we gotta go back to the little things and lock in on the details. It keeps getting us beat. We have belief, we have the right mindset. We could be together, but if we’re not doing the little things – and that’s every single body – we all have a hand in that. That’s really the message. We gotta lock in fast.”

Barkley, who was on a pitch count, touched the ball 14 times on Sunday night. He didn’t practice on Wednesday or Thursday and was listed as limited on Friday. Before the game, Barkley was spotted working on the field with an Eagles staffer to ensure he was prepared to go. Barkley spoke on what was required for him to physically get through the game.

“I mean, it’s football,” he said. “Everybody’s going through something. I’m not trying to make mine seem like it’s any more or less than anybody else. But I’m just frustrated because my mind is there, and with the hammy and all that stuff, my body’s not really where I need it to be right now. But I just gotta keep grinding in rehab and just continue to try to get stronger and get better.”

Tanner McKee completed 23 of 34 pass attempts for 212 yards and an interception, along with a lost fumble. He was sacked five times. On the ground, Barkley, pushing through multiple injuries, rushed for 30 yards on 13 carries. Elijah Mitchell picked up 34 yards on 11 carries and added four receptions for three yards on six targets.

Rookie Makai Lemon led the way in the receiving game, reeling in 6 of 9 targets for 57 yards. Fellow rookie Eli Stowers accounted for 53 yards on three receptions.

Defensively, LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. combined for 10 tackles, while DT Jalen Carter and OLB Nolan Smith each notched a sack of Daniels.

The Eagles inactives: WR DeVonta Smith, LB Jihaad Campbell, WR Dontayvion Wicks, CB Jonathan Jones, OL Jake Majors and WR Britain Covey.

Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Eagles elevated RB Elijah Mitchell and LB Mason Reiger from the practice squad. This was the second elevation for Mitchell, first for Reiger, who made his NFL debut.

Nick Sirianni is running out of answers for his downward spiraling Eagles.

Let’s get to the observations.

* As mentioned here before, the Eagles’ kick coverage proved vulnerable, allowing a 44-yard kickoff return to Commanders WR Luke McCaffrey to start the game. The gap formed between OLB Arnold Ebiketie and DT Ty Robinson. Again, there’s been quite a few moving parts for coordinator Michael Clay this season – this week, he was mostly without LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who started in place of an injured Campbell – but the unit has been far too leaky of late. McCaffrey, by the way, also picked up 27 yards later on a punt return. Keeping with special teams, Elliott, as previously mentioned, missed a 41-yard field goal. He also connected from 40 yards out.

* Six days after their poorest showing of the Vic Fangio era, the Eagles’ defense came out as the aggressor. A series of gaffes on the Commanders’ opening drive forced a field goal attempt that K Drew Stevens missed. On the ensuing possession, the Eagles forced a punt, followed by a Drew Mukuba forced fumble (and Zack Baun recovery) on Commanders TE Chig Okonkwo on the next drive. The unit flowed to the football with urgency and gang tackled in the first half, though blemishes came into focus as the game progressed, namely coverage and executional lapses.

* A couple of questionable first-half decisions from the’ offense. Two that stuck out occurred late in the second quarter. On a 3rd-and-2 from their own 35 (with 1:06 remaining until the break), QB Tanner McKee uncorked a deep shot down the left sideline to WR Makai Lemon that fell incomplete. Not only was it a low-percentage play given the circumstances, it also stopped the clock, returning possession to the Commanders, who would ultimately convert a 36-yard field goal to take the lead. Then, with 12 seconds remaining, why hand the ball off to a banged up Barkley – who came into the game with injuries to his hamstring and back – and expose him to needless contact there?

* The Eagles’ offense continues to rack up an excessive amount of three-and-outs. On Sunday, the team converted just 5 of 15 opportunities. Following Saquon Barkley’s first quarter touchdown, the Eagles punted on three consecutive drives before the break. And the second half drive summaries read: Punt, fumble, missed field goal, interception, end of game.

The Commanders pressured McKee considerably and the Eagles struggled to react. Too many unblocked pressures. The running game that appeared to be turning a corner Monday night was unable to get on track, as space was scarce and both Barkley and Mitchell were too often greeted with contact early in their respective carries. Apart from the nifty first quarter design on the Barkley touchdown, which featured seven offensive linemen and Willie Lampkin at fullback, the offense failed to establish any consistency, which has been a prevailing theme through eight games now.

After the game, left tackle Jordan Mailata spoke on the communication lapses on the offensive line:

“This is something that’s unacceptable. We can’t win games like that. I kinda put all the blame on us up front, and put all the blame on myself, because you just can’t win games by not being able to be efficient in the run game, not being able to protect the QB. It kills momentum, and it’s just bad ball, man. Bad ball. And so, we gotta get back to work and have a good look in the mirror, man.”

* The Eagles were forced to do some shuffling at safety in this game. When Mukuba went down on the first drive, Marcus Epps – not Michael Carter II –  came on to join Kenny Moore. Later, when Moore exited the game in the second quarter, Epps replaced him at safety. While that was mildly surprising, as Epps hadn’t played any defensive snaps since Week 3 in Chicago, it’s also worth noting that Carter II had missed the previous two games with an abdomen injury, so perhaps Fangio didn’t want to overload him in his first game back. Carter II, by the way, exited the game early after reaggravating the abdomen injury and did not return.

* To put into perspective how the game was going, CB Quinyon Mitchell, who essentially erases one side of the field each week, surrendered a chunk play. Late in the third quarter, Commanders WR Treylon Burks slipped behind Mitchell (called for illegal contact on the play) for a 53-yard pickup on a Daniels deep shot.

* Upon first watch, I thought Trotter Jr. played a solid game. The third-year pro combined for 10 tackles – not always the best metric when evaluating – but he was active and flowed to the football. What I observed from Trotter Jr. specifically was his sure tackling and closing ability. His hallmarks, instinctiveness and ability to read and diagnose, showed up. It wasn’t perfect, as Trotter Jr. allowed some plays in coverage, but it seemed like the combination of Baun and Trotter Jr. provided some stability at the second level.

* With WR/PR Britain Covey sidelined, the Eagles opted to go with do-it-all DB Cooper DeJean as his replacement. A bit of a curious decision, as DeJean already wears multiple hats on defense, and the Eagles last week deployed WR Makai Lemon as the in-game option. Along with Lemon and DeJean, WR Elijah Moore also fielded some punts last week in practice.

* On a night when the Eagles were again undermanned at wide receiver, they needed more from TE Dallas Goedert. While Goedert did corral a 16-yarder on a third quarter 3rd-and-7 and rumble for two yards on a direct snap in the fourth quarter, he was fortunate his third quarter drop – which ricocheted into the hands of CB Trey Amos – was negated by a roughing the passer call on OLB K’Lavon Chaisson.

* Looking for a silver lining? How about signs of promise from the Eagles’ top three draft picks. Lemon continues to appear increasingly more comfortable in the offense when used as a traditional wide receiver as opposed to a gadget player, while TE Eli Stowers finished with three receptions for 53 yards. Granted, 34 of them occurred on the final play of the game, but it was good to see the Vanderbilt product get involved on offense. That could serve as a confidence booster moving forward. Sunday in Landover might’ve been shaky, but right tackle Markel Bell, who was thrown into the fire, has mostly held his own. He appears to be settling into his role with each start as he learns on the job. As the losses pile up, the development and progress of this rookie class will be well worth monitoring.

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com