Ron Rivera and the Washington Commanders had just pulled off the upset of the year — toppling the previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles 32-21 in their own home — and the mood is exactly what you would expect in Lincoln Financial’s visitor’s locker room.
It was a party. But when it came time for Rivera to address his team, the 60-year-old NFL lifer was so choked up that he could barely get the words out.
“My mother would have been proud,” was all Rivera could get out. His mother, Dolores, died two weeks ago, and the grieving process was clearly ongoing.
So with Rivera unable to continue, Terry McLaurin — the dynamic receiver who torched the vaunted Eagles secondary for 128 yards on eight carries — took the floor.
“You can see how much that means to him,” McLaurin said. “It means a lot of everyone in this locker room. We set the [expletive] tone. We took it to them. We don’t have to take no [expletive] from no-[expletive]-body. We set our own tone.”
Washington Commanders Stun Philadelphia Eagles
McLaurin is right. Monday night’s stunning result was proof that — despite all their organizational dysfunction — the Commanders will be a problem for as long as they get to play.
And with star pass rusher Chase Young, who tore his ACL and MCL last November, on track to make his 2022 debut Sunday against the dreadful Houston Texans, Washington’s strength — trench play — gets even stronger.
Monday was supposed to be among the easier stops left on the Eagles’ road to perfection. Instead, the night ended with champagne bottles popping in South Florida. There will be no undefeated reprise on the 50th anniversary of the Miami Dolphins going 17-0. Perfectville still has a population of 1.
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And this was no fluke result. The Commanders (5-5) beat the Eagles (8-1) legitimately and soundly. Washington rang up 25 first downs, went 12 of 21 on third downs, and was plus-2 in the turnover battle.
They were the better team Monday night. And as a result, their path to a second playoff appearance in three years is a lot clearer than it was just 24 hours ago.
The Commanders woke up Tuesday as the NFC’s eighth seed, just a half-game behind the 49ers for the conference’s third Wild Card spot.
And they have a head-to-head with San Francisco looming on Christmas Eve. The Commanders, with a 36% chance to make the playoffs per FiveThirtyEight, control their destiny.
Taylor Heinicke to the Rescue
Monday night in Philly wasn’t exactly a quarterback clinic. Jalen Hurts came in as a legit MVP candidate, and the Commanders made him look pedestrian, holding Hurts to 17 of 26 passing for 175 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
On paper, Taylor Heinicke — 17 of 29, 211 yards, and a pick — was no better. But like he mostly has since replacing an injured Carson Wentz in Week 7, Heinicke did what was needed to win.
Heinicke is now 3-1 in four starts, and that turnaround is in no small part a result of his ability to open up the offense. The Commanders have averaged a half-yard more per pass attempt on Heinicke plays than it has on Wentz plays.
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A month ago, Rivera bluntly pointed to quarterback play as the team’s weakness — a gaffe (defined here as saying the truth out loud), for which he later apologized to Wentz.
But facts don’t care about feelings. The Commanders averaged 11.8 points in Wentz’s last four starts. They’re scoring twice that since Heinicke has taken over.
Rivera dodged late Monday/early Tuesday when asked what he’s going to do at quarterback now that Wentz is eligible to return from IR. Rivera then went on to say this about Heinicke:
“His grit. Just the way he plays. He’s a guy that’s hard to beat the underdog mentality sometimes. That’s like I told you. That’s him.”
He might as well be talking about the whole team.