With 4:38 left in the fourth quarter and a 16-point lead, time was of the essence for the coach Thursday night against the division rival Eagles.
After stealing the ball on Philadelphia's kickoff, Washington not only scored a touchdown, but also the two-point conversion needed to take an eight-point lead.
The only problem?
Despite receiving two timeouts, a two-minute warning, and having to miss an onside kick, the team fought through the final four minutes and 10 seconds to defeat the Eagles, 26-18.
What seemed most surprising was the conservative call with less than three minutes left when Washington had the ball inside the Philadelphia 30 and Jeremy McNichols converted second and third downs on back-to-back runs. .
Not only was the play net minus 1 yard, but the time was down to the 2 minute warning.
Six plays later, the Managers scored on a pass from rookie Jayden McDaniels to tight end Zach Ertz, who also made a great catch on a two-point try.
However, with exactly 28 seconds remaining, the managers kicked off and had no chance of tying the score without an onside kick.
Soccer experts and fans were quick to condemn the play call late in the game.
“My only thought is that the managers didn't want Jayden to take too many shots in a game that was almost over, so they decided to play down that possession to protect him.” David Hellman of the NFL on Fox Podcast wrote:
“That clock management was terrible.”
“Seriously, who is calling this kind of play??” Bloomberg reporter Stephen Dennis wrote.
Eagles reporter Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice called the decision “ridiculous.”
“What's this stupid run your commanders are calling you? You're 16 years younger, guys.” he wrote.
Another user wrote: “Absolutely terrible watch management by the commander.” “3 minutes left, Eagles 30 points, down 2 possessions, ran the ball twice??Why on earth would you want to bring it to the 2 minute warning when there are 2 timeouts left?Shot in the end zone Let's decide. That was terrible.”
The loss moves Washington to 7-4 as the Eagles improve to 8-2 and solidify their spot in the NFC East.
