The play of the game came with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Commanders stopped at the Eagles’ 26-yard line, and instead of kicking a field goal, which would have given them a one-point lead, coach Dan Quinn decided to keep the offense on the field to attempt a fourth-and-half -2.

There was logic in the commanders’ choice to remain aggressive. They tied for the second-most fourth down conversions in the league, and a touchdown would have put the Eagles in a tough situation if they had been able to convert.

However, the piece itself was not performed well from the start. Daniels wobbled with the snap and scrambled to his right to try to get past the marker. There was actually a lane where that could have happened, but it was quickly closed when Reed Blankenship cut under Brown for a tackle that didn’t result in a gain.

After the game, Washington’s players were willing to take the blame. Daniels said he could have called the cadence louder. There was miscommunication on the offensive line, as Sam Cosmi pulled to the left, but Brandon Coleman, Tyler Biadasz and Andrew Wylie pulled to the right.

But they were also sold on the idea of ​​trying to win the game on their terms.

“We come to play. We come to win,” Ekeler said. “Touchdowns win games. That’s what DQ (Quinn) wants, and when we get to those winning moments, when it’s on the line … we know we’re going to go for it.”

It was a high-risk, high-reward situation for the commanders, and unfortunately they fell short at a critical time. It was a brutal reminder that execution matters against the league’s top teams.