Stefon Diggs' debut as a Washington Commander was, at least on the stat sheet, a success. His nine targets resulted in only four catches, but he turned those into 55 yards and a touchdown that put his team one two-point conversion from a fourth quarter tie against the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, what followed that touchdown helped create a handicap from which his team would not recover. Diggs' celebration was a beeline to the goalpost, where he jumped crotch-first to Spider-man himself to the padding. It was the kind of thing you'd see in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Importantly, it's also the kind of thing the NFL is trying to avoid.
Thus, a flag came out; 15 yards from unsportsmanlike conduct. A two-point conversion would have to happen
from the 17-yard line.
Visual aid:
— David (@crookedknight.bsky.social) 2026-09-14T12:05:53.144Z
Instead, head coach Dan Quinn kicked the extra point. A late touchdown created the leverage for an actual game-tying two-point conversion, which Quinn ran into the teeth of one of the game's best offensive lines. The Commanders let an upset opportunity on the road slip away, and Diggs left his first game in burgundy and gold as a villain.
He didn't shirk responsibility for the flag after the game.
Stef Diggs takes full accountability for the penalty. Said it was just a heat of the moment celebration. He forgot the rule had changed from early in his career pic.twitter.com/h62uVv66E8
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) September 14, 2026
"Oh, I forgot, it's not back in the day," said Diggs at his locker during the postgame media scrum. "You know, I've been playing for a long time. It used to be you could do that.
"I gotta be better," he concluded after a quick reflection on his dozen seasons in the league.
Diggs wasn't the reason Washington lost, but he put his team in a worse position and squandered, albeit briefly, some key momentum. The real takeaway from Sunday's games, however, may be that the New York Giants could rise up and win the NFC East.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Stefon Diggs took responsibility for bonehead celebration penalty
