Dan Quinn's Washington Commanders showed more fight after a late 2-point conversion by the Philadelphia Eagles than they have during many plays and games in this 4-11 season filled with lopsided losses.
All of those punches, and all of that pushing and shoving, did nothing to change the result Saturday night — Washington allowed Philadelphia to win 29-18 and clinch a second consecutive NFC East title — but could make things interesting when these division rivals meet again in Week 18.
''If that's how they want to get down, all good,'' Quinn said when asked whether Eagles coach Nick Sirianni's choice to try to add on those two points instead of kicking for one was disrespectful. ''We'll play them again in two weeks.''
Well, then.
Far too often, that sort of attitude has been missing from Washington's on-field makeup. Sure, injury after injury has taken a toll on the roster — and no health issues have been more disruptive or concerning than those that limited star quarterback Jayden Daniels to seven games before he was shut down for the season — but too often, the Commanders have failed to even be competitive.
Whether falling behind by 18 or 19 on Saturday with about 4 1/2 minutes left would have made a difference, a lot of the same themes arise week after week in lopsided games, particularly when it comes to a defense that can't really seem to stop anyone.
Washington actually was in this one for a half and led 10-7 at the break.
''The energy was there today. The focus was there. The preparation was there,'' Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin said. ''We liked where we were going into halftime.''
