With 4:38 left within the fourth quarter and down by 16 factors, time was of the essence for the Commanders in opposition to the division rival Eagles on Thursday evening.
Washington, after getting the ball off a Philadelphia kickoff, did rating not solely a landing however a mandatory two-point conversion to place themselves down by eight.
The one downside?
They chewed up 4:10 — even with two timeouts and the two-minute warning of their again pocket, which pressured them to go for an unsuccessful onside kick, sealing a 26-18 loss to the Eagles.
What appeared most stunning was the conservative calls when Washington had the ball contained in the Philadelphia 30, with back-to-back runs to Jeremy McNichols on second and third downs with underneath three minutes to go.
Not solely did the performs web minus-1 yard, nevertheless it additionally bled the clock right down to the two-minute warning.
Six performs later, the Commanders scored on a cross from rookie Jayden McDaniels to tight finish Zach Ertz — who additionally made a terrific catch on the two-point attempt.
However by the point — 28 seconds left on the clock to be precise — the Commanders have been kicking off, that they had no likelihood to tie issues up with out going for an onside kick.
Soccer pundits and followers have been fast to tear 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 author for the Philly Voice, known as 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 one other person. “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 because the Eagles solidified their NFC East place as they improved to 8-2.
