The Washington Commanders came out of their bye week and pulled off a Week 8 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The first quarter was a struggle for the burgundy and gold as they struggled to regain their footing after having a week off. They allowed the Eagles to score 10 points in the first quarter, answering with just one field goal after Drew Stevens missed a 55-yard attempt on the opening drive. However, after that, the Eagles didn’t score again. The Commanders took a 13-10 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half picked up where the first half left off. The Eagles couldn’t get any sort of offense going, and their defense had no answer for anything the Commanders threw at them, including a successful two-point conversion to make
it a three-score game with less than two minutes to play. The Commanders finished with a 27-10 win over a division rival.
Let’s take one last look at this win and see how we graded the Commanders in our Week 8 report cards.
Offense: B
After a slow start, the offense figured it out and started playing like we know it can. They scored 27 points, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, and did not turn the ball over. Jayden Daniels was sacked only twice all game, which is a huge improvement, and one of those was more due to coverage than actual pressure. Overall, they played well, but there were still areas they could have improved. They left points on the field, field goals that should have been touchdowns, and the pre-snap penalties are a major problem.
They played better than they have in most games this season, but it was far from perfect. While it was good enough to defeat a depleted Eagles team, that performance won’t get it done against better teams.
Defense: A+
This defense was expected to dominate Philadelphia, and they absolutely did. Without several key offensive weapons, the Eagles’ season is quickly falling apart. The Commanders’ defense took full advantage of that, and truly, what more can anyone ask for? The only reason Philly got a touchdown was because of a fumble by the offense inside the 30-yard line.
After the first quarter, the Eagles put zero points on the board. The defense sacked Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee five times, forced two turnovers, with a third taken away due to an awful call by the officials. If the defense continues to perform like this the rest of the season, Commanders’ fans may actually look forward to watching games again.
Special teams: A+
Despite Drew Stevens missing a 55-yard field goal attempt, special teams were on point coming off the bye. After that miss, Stevens didn’t miss again, including a 56-yard attempt.
Tress Way averaged 51 yards per punt despite punting from deep inside Commanders’ territory on each kick.
Luke McCaffrey had a 44-yard kick return and a 27-yard punt return. He replaced Jaylin Lane as the return man after Lane went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 4, and he’s done a decent job so far.
Once again, kick coverage was outstanding, and the special teams unit continues to perform at a high level.
Coaching: B
Even with a win, we have to pull some points off the card for Dan Quinn and David Blough. The pre-snap penalties are a huge problem. Coming out of a bye week, Washington had four pre-snap penalties in the first quarter alone. Two of them were on back-to-back plays, and the penalties killed two separate drives, contributing to the team's slow start. It improved as the game went on, but against a team functioning at peak level, those penalties would have crushed the entire game.
Daronte Jones and Larry Izzo were both outstanding. Jones’ defense brought the heat all night and has now strung together three solid halves, starting with the second half against the San Francisco 49ers. Izzo’s unit is consistently performing at a high level that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon.
Jayden Daniels: B+
Daniels put forth a solid effort against the Eagles on Sunday night, but it was far from perfect. He missed some early throws that he typically connects on, including one to Chig Okonkwo that would have resulted in a first-and-goal. He made a few plays with his legs (two carries for 23 yards), and he protected himself while completing 16 of 29 pass attempts for 217 yards and a touchdown. He was sacked twice, but one happened while he was trying to escape the pocket when none of his receivers were open.
Daniels also made several big throws downfield (four plays of 20 yards or more), and while it was a solid showing, he actually played better two weeks ago against the 49ers. Still, he continues to look more comfortable in the pocket and is making good decisions when under pressure.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders report card: How we graded the Week 8 victory
