With 4:38 left in the fourth quarter and down by 16 points, time was of the essence for the Commanders against the division rival Eagles on Thursday night.
Washington, after getting the ball off a Philadelphia kickoff, did score not only a touchdown but a necessary two-point conversion to put themselves down by eight.
The only problem?
They chewed up 4:10 — even with two timeouts and the two-minute warning in their back pocket, which forced them to go for an unsuccessful onside kick, sealing a 26-18 loss to the Eagles.
What appeared most surprising was the conservative calls when Washington had the ball inside the Philadelphia 30, with back-to-back runs to Jeremy McNichols on second and third downs with under three minutes to go.
Not only did the plays net minus-1 yard, but it also bled the clock down to the two-minute warning.
Six plays later, the Commanders scored on a pass from rookie Jayden McDaniels to tight end Zach Ertz — who also made a terrific catch on the two-point try.
But by the time — 28 seconds left on the clock to be exact — the Commanders were kicking off, they had no chance to tie things up without going for an onside kick.
Football pundits and fans were quick to rip the late-game play-calling.
“My only idea is that the Commanders didn’t want Jayden taking a lot of shots in a game that is mostly over and called that possession conservatively to protect him,” wrote David Helman of the “NFL on Fox Podcast.”
“Because that clock management was horrendous.”
“Seriously who is calling these plays???” wrote Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis.
Jimmy Kempski, an Eagles writer for the Philly Voice, called the decision-making “idiotic.”
“What are these idiotic runs that the Commanders are calling? You’re down 16, guys,” he wrote.
“Absolutely atrocious clock management by the Commanders right there,” wrote another user. “3 minutes left, on the Eagles 30, down 2 possessions and you run the ball twice?? Why in the world would you want to take it to the 2 minute warning when you have 2 timeouts left. Take the shots at the endzone. That was awful.”
Washington moved to 7-4 with the loss as the Eagles solidified their NFC East position as they improved to 8-2.
