Official Game Thread - NFC CHAMPIONSHIP - Commanders @ Eagles

[Knightingale]

Well, I slept on it. Still stings this morning but not as much as I thought.

I think we’ve over performed all season pretty much. We are a work in progress. Peters and co said pre season that this was a recalibration and that they thought we’d be competitive and they were right. But all year we’ve seen where the deficiencies are, hence all those really close wins.

The D was ranked 18tth. It was all the buzz last week when the media was talking about how amazing it was that we’d got here. But we had an offense that more often than not punched above its weight and kept us in games we probably had no right being in.

The Eagles, well they had all the pieces in place. They’ve been building for this for years and are a good organisation. They’ve been a little up and down but they peaked at the right time just as our team hit the wall. A lack of talent and injuries just couldn’t be overcome by our team mentality.

But give us a year or two to stack our roster the same way, and watch out! We could be, as a team, in the ascendency as some of the other teams in our conference are in decline. The time could be right for us.

But I’ve LOVED this year. This team. They’re easy to cheer for and the future is really bright.

This year has been a gift.

 

[NickyJ]

Coming up short hurts, but the most important part to me is that we don't just have credibility from ownership and coaching now. We have street cred. Players that want to join a team that stands a legitimate shot at the playoffs have a reason to see this team as a destination. A team held together by a franchise QB, a good WR, a handful of spare parts, and duct tape just made the championship game. We got lucky a lot this season, but luck alone rarely gets a team to the final four.

 

[DazedSkinsFan]

Like the two posters above me, I'm waking up this morning feeling more excited about this team than I have in over 30 years. I'm just pissed it's the Eagles. They are #1 on my list of most hated teams in sports. They're so stupid they honor a statue of a fake boxer!!! (Mr T was a better fighter by the way) I wish nothing but bad football and a century of Cleveland Brown like suckage for that organization and fan base......
As for us though, I've said it a few times already but this is the worst roster JD will play on. We have a ton of money and we can finally draft the bpa with each draft pick. We are no longer in QB purgatory. We have a lot of areas to upgrade, and it's going to take at least two more off-seasons to get to that level, but for the first time since 1991 we are a organization that people actually respect and want to be a part of. The future is bright boys and girls!!!

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

There is no shame in losing to a team as talented as that one is. When you look at the parts, man we are a long way away from teams like Philly and KC. They have A players, we have mostly B and C. But we have the biggest cog in place and he played well, just can't function when he rarely had a clean pocket. OL is where they were hurt the most, need upgrades. McCaffery is not the kick returner, like at RB they need far more explosiveness. BRob no longer moves the pile and that was his greatest strength.

Just so proud of my team this year. When they showed the logos of the final four teams I still can't believe our logo was there.

 

[burgold]

I think we knew the D was our Achilles heel. They couldn't stop the Lions at all, but were just very opportunistic with the turnovers. Actually, Sainristil and company deserve better than that. Those were good plays and not fluke interceptions (except maybe the Quan Martin one.) Still, we knew we couldn't stop the run and had a porous pass D all year. What disappointed me was the fumbles. From the bobble on the very first kickoff to the Ekeler's drop. Part of me thinks that on top of everything, they finally met a moment that was too big for them. The spotlight just got a little too bright for this try-hard group.

Still, like everyone is saying, I thought six wins would be a good improvement. We earned our way to the Championship game and stomped the number one seed along the way. Yeah, we laid an egg against the Eagles and it didn't help that the refs screwed us over and over again, but for one of the only times this year, we blew it. When the moment got big, we just couldn't rise to the occassion. Part of that is the talent differential, but part of it may just have been the moment.

Helluva season. Glad to have shared it with you. Glad that so many of my ES brothers and sisters found their way over here and we were reunited in spirit. Glad we got to have fun during a football season. It's been so long since we could say that. This year was fun. It was exciting. It was thrilling.

To be cliche, the best is yet to come.

 

[burgold]

There is no shame in losing to a team as talented as that one is. When you look at the parts, man we are a long way away from teams like Philly and KC. They have A players, we have mostly B and C. But we have the biggest cog in place and he played well, just can't function when he rarely had a clean pocket. OL is where they were hurt the most, need upgrades. McCaffery is not the kick returner, like at RB they need far more explosiveness. BRob no longer moves the pile and that was his greatest strength.

Just so proud of my team this year. When they showed the logos of the final four teams I still can't believe our logo was there.

And just to build on my last thought and this one. I do think the moment got to most of the team yesterday. We were not as good against the Eagles as we were against the Lions (or the Eagles in the regular season), but the moment was not too big for Daniels. He played well.

We'll be okay.

 

[Xameil]

Well...here's a silver lining thought...

Chiefs win, Kelce retires so don't have to worry about the Taylor Swift effect anymore, and the Eagles go through a massive super Bowl loss meltdown and fall completely apart in the off-season

 

[burgold]

... and just because we're all being mature I think I'll say it.

This effing sucks! I wanted the ring.

https://media2.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExeXFmNGY2dWxzdW5zeG11Zjdodzd2djcwcWg2b2U2NXNnZTRrZ21nZyZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/3ornk6UHtk276vLtkY/giphy.gif

 

[mhd24]

Next season's schedule is tough no doubt about it. Right now, we play:

Home:
Dallas
Philly
NYG
Seattle
Chicago
Detroit
Denver
Vegas

Away:
Dallas
Philly
NYG
Atlanta
Minnesota
Green Bay
KC
LAC
Miami (extra game, could potentially be in Spain).

I think we get two SNF games, one MNF game, and one premium primetime slot (either Thanksgiving or Christmas).

 

[Riggo44]

The Tush Push is the worst play in sports. It was illegal, apparently, until 2005.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Yeah the OL was a problem but this loss was on the defense. I'm looking at you Lattimore but everyone played poorly. They had 2 cripples playing center and we could not take advantage. We just need more good players and a few more players like Luvu.

 

[Riggo44]

Next season's schedule is tough no doubt about it. Right now, we play:

Home:
Dallas
Philly
NYG
Seattle
Chicago
Detroit
Denver
Vegas

Away:
Dallas
Philly
NYG
Atlanta
Minnesota
Green Bay
KC
LAC
Miami (extra game, could potentially be in Spain).

I think we get two SNF games, one MNF game, and one premium primetime slot (either Thanksgiving or Christmas).

We have a tough schedule. But Peters is going to improve this roster and right now, we are better than Dallas, NY, Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, and Vegas; and as good, if not better, than GB, Miami, and LAC. Detroit lost both coordinators, so that is going to be interesting to see that effect.

If Shawn Hochuli referees the Eagles or Chiefs games I will lose my shit.

 

[Riggo44]

Remember we used to rag on Philly for only having 1 SB appearance back in the day?

Now they have 5. Same as us.

No one cares unless you win.

 

[burgold]

Also, I haven't said it in a while, but Eff Mara!

How do you let Saquon get away in favor of Daniel Jones?

 

[bh32]

What sucks the most about yesterday's loss is the SB was within reach if they didn't turn the ball over..Now with having a much more difficult schedule coming up who says we even make the playoffs next year?

Let's be honest..this team has a lot of holes to fill and not enough or high enough draft picks to expect significant gains.we overachived this season and now fans are gonna expect to make it back to the NFCCG.

 

[bh32]

Yeah the OL was a problem but this loss was on the defense. I'm looking at you Lattimore but everyone played poorly. They had 2 cripples playing center and we could not take advantage. We just need more good players and a few more players like Luvu.

Yeah giving the 3rd and 4th round picks for Lattimore looks like a mistake..honestly he is no better than BSJ.

 

[SkinsGuy99]

Remember we used to rag on Philly for only having 1 SB appearance back in the day?

Now they have 5. Same as us.

Yeah, but Washington has 3 victories in those 5.

The eagles have 1.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Yeah giving the 3rd and 4th round picks for Lattimore looks like a mistake..honestly he is no better than BSJ.

He's a proven player so I think he will be better provided he is healthy. But man this was not what we were expecting when they made that trade.

 

[mhd24]

Yeah giving the 3rd and 4th round picks for Lattimore looks like a mistake..honestly he is no better than BSJ.

In reality, it was a very late 3rd and an early 6th. We also traded our 4th (which is also very late) for their early 5th. It was a trade I still make because we have nothing at CB. Davis was unplayable (as we saw in the Falcons game) and BSJ totally lost confidence. Noah I is a JAG. We don't beat Tampa in all likelihood without Lattimore stopping Irving on that late drive.

It's amazing how far we got with our roster. Save for QB, the Giants (for example) have a much better roster than we do tbh.

 

[RandyHolt]

Laser focus of fans ire appears to be on the OL being our most glaring weakness and them costing us a trip to the blow. I don't see it. We couldn't stop the run - look at our last 5! Philly posted 229. Detroit. 200. Tampa only had 100 but they didnt have much TOP. Dallas posted 150. Atlanta? 216. Do the we neeeeed to upgrade the OL folks want to ignore this or talk about it. Whitt your scapegoat? I guess the ire is on Coleman who overacheived and held up pretty damn good in a tough division and he looked fine to me yesterday. You see KCs super blow grade OL having Mahomes on the run quite often. WE have a QB that can play on the run and cover for Coleman giving up a sack every other game. Jayden minimizes my OL concerns while it appears some think Jayden needs a perfect pocket - which will never happen folks. Defenses get paid too, folks. Throwing draft picks at the OL wont change that.

I see our Alabamians being ineffective - overpaid or under productive. All of them. WR2 was lacking and still is. The transition of Dyami from deep to possession went better than I thought it would but we need more. Our edges met/exceeded? reasonable expectation but an upgrade is needed to take the next step. Corner despite adding Lattimore seems a weak spot. Ball hawk safety is one area someone may think can be upped. A playmaker. We don't force turnovers. RB needs an upgrade. Ekeler is a decent 3rd down back but he's likely to be more injury prone e.g. long in the tooof. McNichols is a journeyman despite coaches loving him. BRob lost all confidence and looked injured. Wagner may be past his prime. Folks may live in the past and want a Riggo Drill. It ain't happening unless your QB sucks and you dont want them to throw. Riggo Drill is from an era when our OL grossly outweighed our opponents DL.That ship sailed 30 years ago. Focus on a dynamic back to pair with Jayden instead of 350 pound guards.

Philly's a tough out but Kliff's obession with running BRob into the teeth of their DL for half the game grounded our offense. A half assed attempt to shorten the game I presume but BRob showing well for a week didn't appease my concerns that our run game was solely JD. Of note, surprisingly Mahomes had more designed QB runs yesterday than we did but I am sure Philly had a triple spy plan on 5.

Fuck Hawktuli for threatening to give Philly a gift TD. They want to allow the tush push well get ready for Luvu to try to KO the QB and trade 6 inches for that free shot. Jalen Carter is an asshole. How is it I always hate Philly players the most.

Looking forward to debating all of the above with you extremists for the next 8 months.