Greetings from The Booth!
It’s been a tough week for the Washington Commanders. Going into last Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Commanders were the talk of the pro football world, leading the NFC East at 7-2, and already exceeding the over-under win total of many “experts.” Rookie franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels was not only being mentioned in Rookie of the Year conversations, but the word M-V-P was being uttered by some. Everything was going right for Washington in a 180-degree culture change in the Nation’s Capital.
Cue the The Twilight Zone theme. Against the Steelers, we were suddenly taken back to the previous regime, as a number of Dan Snyder-esque things began to materialize. First, a large portion of Northwest Stadium (I still have a hard time with the name of the venue–how about Joe Gibbs Field at NW Stadium?) was filled with Terrible Towel-waving Pittsburgh fans. It’s great to see the home stadium filled again, but too many times in the Snyder years, most of the fans at Fed-Ex were wearing the other team’s jerseys. There were times Sunday if you closed your eyes, you would think the game was being played in the Steel City.
Then, there were mistakes like 2 muffed punts, blown coverages by the secondary, and watching a 10-point 4th quarter lead melt away. Still, the game was not over until an unforced error–a penalty on a play where the Steelers were simply trying to draw the Commanders offside–gave Pittsburgh the hard-earned 28-27 victory. Disappointing for sure, but not the end of the world. A one-point loss against a potential Super Bowl contender was not a reason to drive into the Anacostia. A big opportunity was just four days away in Philadelphia.
Under the harsh glare of the Thursday Night Football lights, the Commanders traveled to the City of Brotherly Love and Lincoln Financial Field, one of the most hostile venues in the NFL, to take on rival Philadelphia. With first place in the division on the line, Washington hung in there, again taking a 10-6 lead into the final period. Then, it all unraveled. The Eagles took a 12-10 lead as momentum shifted its fickle allegiance to the Dirty Birds. With a chance to take a 13-12 lead, Head Coach Dan Quinn decided to pass on a makeable field goal and go for a 4th and 2. The gamble failed on a busted play, and 2 touchdowns later the Eagles put the game out of reach.
A palpable cloud of gloom hung over the DMV on Friday as we all felt like Cinderella at 12:01. Would we all wake up and discover that 7-2 had been a wonderful dream, and that Dan Snyder still owned the team? You could almost hear the maniacal laughter of the ghosts of Washington Football past–Bruce Allen, Larry Michael, Vinny Cerrato, Ron Rivera, and Snyder–mocking our newfound success. We were crashing back to earth.
OK, let’s take a breath. Yes, there is cause for some concern. Daniels has not been himself in the 2-game skid, as he battles an ongoing rib injury. The long break could not have come at a better time. And, on the other side are two winnable games at home against the now lowly Cowboys and the Titans, followed by a bye-week and the crucial 4-game stretch to end the regular season. As it stands now, the Commanders have a 76% chance of making the playoffs, and a record of 11-6 is entirely possible. Would you have taken that in March? You bet your burgundy and gold you would!
Until the next visit from The Booth…HTTC, HTTR!
RW
