4 Washington Commanders to blame for Thursday Night Football loss to Eagles

The Washington Commanders have hit a cold patch. Their Thursday Night Football loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, 26-18, was their second in a row and a worrying one at that.

The Commanders let the Eagles establish a lead at the top of the NFC East. Jayden Daniels' played like a rookie. The shine is fully off Kliff Kingsbury's offense. And Dan Quinn's defense eventually caved to Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia offense.

Who is to blame for the loss and missed opportunity to top the division?

It's scary how silent Terry McLaurin went

Terry McLaurin was on a milk carton in the Eagles-Commanders primetime clash. As Washington's unquestioned alpha receiver, that's inexplicable, regardless of who he lined up against or how good the coverage was.

McLaurin, AKA "Scary Terry," didn't strike much fear into Philadelphia in Week 11. He caught one of the two targets for a measly 10 yards, notably not showing up in the box score before the second half.

As The Athletic's Ben Standig points out, his first look didn't come until the 11-minute mark of the third quarter. Eagles first-round rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell had McLaurin in jail. While the defensive back has been nothing short of remarkable in his inaugural NFL campaign, the latter is an established commodity in the league.

Washington's top wideout must impose his will in situations like this, particularly when first place in the divisional standings is on the line. In such a high-stakes battle and hostile road environment, McLaurin has to go above and beyond to help his rookie quarterback. Unfortunately, he failed to do so versus the Eagles, which ultimately cost the Commanders tremendously. —LL

Dan Quinn wants that 4th-down call back

The Commanders' head coach threw away an opportunity for his team to take the lead in the fourth quarter by going for a fourth down conversion instead of a field goal.

These kinds of decisions are always results based. If Washington had converted, no one would be questioning Quinn's decision to go for it. Results bias or not, the decision was costly for the Commanders.

Washington trailed 12-2 with eight minutes to go when they faced the fourth-and-two from the Philadelphia 26-yard line. If the Eagles had chosen to forgo a kick, it would have made a lot of sense. Philly kicker Jake Elliott missed two field goals and an extra point on the night. However, Commanders back up kicker Zane Gonzalez nailed a 45-yard attempt and an extra point earlier in the game. Another one from 43 yards wouldn't have been asking too much.

The fourth down stop galvanized the Eagles. Saquon Barkley scored a 23-yard touchdown on the ensuing possession, Jayden Daniels threw an interception on the first play of the following drive and Barkley broke free again for another score. That was all she wrote. —AD

Commanders defensive line lost the battle in the trenches

Philadelphia dominated the battle in the trenches. Their rushing attack ruthlessly gashed the Commanders virtually all night, and the front seven must be held accountable.

The Eagles ran for 229 yards on 5.9 yards per carry and all three of their scores came through the ground. And it wasn't only standout running back Saquon Barkley. Fellow tailback Kenneth Gainwell and franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts also got involved.

Not only were the Eagles moving the ball at will with their legs, but they were constantly gaining chunk yardage. Barkley had several explosive plays, including a 39-yard paydirt trip that sealed the deal for Philadelphia late in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Gainwell converted his four carries into 43 yards, which wasn't buoyed by one run — a 14-yard gain was his longest attempt.

Washington's defensive front, led by Pro Bowl veterans and rookie second-round pick Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Jer'Zhan Newton, got manhandled. They were simply no match for the Eagles offensive line. Even though Philly boasts arguably the most stout blocking unit in football, the Commanders didn't rise to the occasion in the crucial NFC East showdown. —LL

Jayden Daniels picked the worst time to throw an INT

Jayden Daniels was the surprise star of the first half of the NFL season. He's come back to earth in recent weeks.

Frankly, the Commanders were lucky to beat the Bears a few weeks ago. Since then, they've squeaked by the Giants and lost to the Steelers and Eagles. Along the way, Daniels has increasingly looked like the rookie he is.

We could just as easily blame Kliff Kingsbury here. After all, his offense has certainly slowed down recently. A whole lot of Cardinals fans aren't surprised to see NFL defenses figure him out eventually. On a night when the Eagles wasted seven points on missed kicks, the Commanders will rue scoring only 10 points before a meaningless late touchdown.

Still, it's Daniels' job to avoid mistakes and he had a very costly one on Thursday night.

Zeroing in on the biggest error of the night, Daniels essentially damned the Commanders when he tossed an interception immediately after the Eagles pushed their lead to nine.

The quarterback had time. He wasn't rushed into throwing. He just put the ball where Reed Blankenship could come away with it.

Going 11 games while throwing just three interceptions is impressive for a first-year quarterback. So there's no reason to hit the panic button on Daniels. He just didn't take his opportunities this time. —AD