Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders
The Commanders, who had outperformed expectations since September, finally saw their season end in the NFC Championship with a 55-23 loss. As impressive as the Eagles were with their 459 yards, 122 of which came from running back Saquon Barkley, the Commanders didn’t help their cause with four turnovers. Three of those giveaways occurred on their side of [midfield].
It was familiar territory for the Commanders, who turned over the ball five times in their dramatic 36-33 win over the Eagles in Week 16. In that game, Washington overcame that with an impressive five-touchdown performance from Jayden Daniels, who tossed a touchdown to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left.
However, the difference in the third matchup between the two teams was that Philadelphia managed to capitalize on Washington’s mistakes. Twenty-one of the Eagles’ points came on drives immediately following turnovers.
So many things that had gone right this season suddenly went wrong against the Eagles in the NFC championship game.
It probably should have happened long before it did: A young team got a little overjacked, and overwhelmed, and finally met some circumstances it couldn’t dazzle and dream its way through. When the aches wear off and the Washington Commanders are ready to look at this season rationally, they will see that it wasn’t just a beautiful mirage, despite the whomping they took. They’re on a typical path for a team building toward something big. In this case, the veteran Philadelphia Eagles were just further along, more ready for the bigness of the NFC championship game.
The Commanders on Sunday gave up three fumbles, all of which helped pad the 55-23 score. And give the Eagles credit: “They caused them,” Commanders Coach Dan Quinn said. “… We didn’t just leave the ball on the ground.”
The Miami Dolphins’ Hall of Fame quarterback was as good a passer as pro football has ever produced. During his second NFL season, in 1984, the then-23-year-old became the first quarterback in league history to throw for more than 5,000 yards (5,084) in a season. He threw 48 touchdowns and completed 362 passes. Each of these stats led the league. He was named MVP and Offensive Player of the Year and took the Dolphins to Super Bowl XIX, where Miami played against Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers.
Marino and Miami, though, were dominated by San Francisco 38-16, spoiling the historic season. But, Marino was 23 years old, you know?
“After the game, I was disappointed, down about the game,” Marino told the Miami Herald in 2015. “But I was like,...
