Commanders' Coaching Staff Out Game-Planned Eagles
PHILADELPHIA - Leroy Hoard was once a really good bruising back in the NFL.
The former Pro Bowl selection was the definition of a short-yardage specialist later in his career when he once joked, “Coach, if you need one yard, I'll get you three yards. If you need five yards, I'll get you three yards."
On Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field, it kind of felt like a Hoard game as Washington stunned the last unbeaten team in the NFL, 32-21.
The Commanders ran for an impressive 152 yards against the Jordan Davis-less Eagles’ defense, 3.1 yards at a time.
Washington’s longest run of the night was only 11 yards by rookie Brian Robinson, who finished with the Hoard-like stat line of 26 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown, controlling the clock and the game for the upset-minded Commanders.
When Taylor Heinicke did throw it successfully for Washington, it was generally off play-action built off the slow-and-steady running game to a usually wide-open Terry McLaurin.
For the first time this season, the Eagles (8-1) were out game-planned.
“The guys did the things that the coaches put together. It really was the guys sticking to the plan,” Commanders coach Ron Rivera said. “The coaches stuck to their plan. We found one of the best ways to slow (Eagles QB) Jalen Hurts down and keep him off the field. We were fortunate we were able to do that.”
The final time of possession numbers read 40:24 for Washington vs. 19:36 for the Eagles.
“We felt if we could control the line of scrimmage and run the ball, we could slow things down,” Rivera said. “That’s what we were able to do. I mean, the dude’s a dynamic quarterback. [Hurts has] done a heck of a job.”
Despite the limited opportunities Hurts still generated three touchdowns – two passing and one running – but big miscues in the form of fumbles by Quez Watkins and Dallas Goedert, along with an uncharacteristic Hurts’ interception thrown into double coverage to an ailing A.J. Brown was enough to comfort the surviving members of the 1972 Miami Dolphins for one more year.
“We have to control the things that we can,” Hurts said. “When we came out here, we did not do that. We didn’t do it and it got us. It is very important to control the things that you can, control your ball security, and knowing where the operational play is supposed to go. Just execution. Those are all things that we control and do a better job of that.”
The Commanders wisely limited the opportunities Philadelphia was given and the irony is the NFL’s most well-rounded team through the first nine weeks was just as well-rounded in an ugly first loss.
“The three turnovers lost us the game,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “The time of possession losses you the game. We lost it together: offense, defense, special teams, we lost it together.”
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
