Commanders Defeat Eagles, 24–17: 10 Takeaways From Philadelphia’s Aggravating Loss

The Philadelphia Eagles lost their regular season finale to the Washington Commanders, 24-17. Philadelphia opted to rest their starters and prioritize health ahead of the playoffs. While many criticized Nick Sirianni’s decision, it was still the right call.

The Eagles still had a chance to win in Week 18, yet underwhelming play-calling and defensive mistakes ultimately led to Philadelphia’s sixth loss of the regular season. Despite another frustrating loss, there is still hope for a deep postseason run in the City of Brotherly Love.

Here are my 10 takeaways from Philadelphia’s aggravating loss.

Resting the Starters Was Still the Right Call

Prior to Week 18, I said that the Eagles resting their starters was the right call. While the Bears lost and the Eagles failed to defeat the Commanders, I still believe that Philadelphia made the right decision. Prioritizing health over the possibility of a second home playoff game was the right decision.

Three Eagles players suffered an injury during Sunday’s game against the Commanders. If those three players were starters, Nick Sirianni would have been crucified for playing his starters in Week 18. Philadelphia was basically in a lose-lose situation in certain people’s eyes.

Yet Sirianni rightfully controlled what he could control, which was resting most of Philadelphia’s starters. The only thing that Sirianni could guarantee ahead of Week 18 was the health of his players. He couldn’t guarantee that the Bears were going to lose against the Lions.

Now the Eagles will enter the playoffs with likely 21 of their 22 projected starters healthy for the start of the postseason. The only starter that won’t be playing is rookie safety Andrew Mukuba. Yet there’s an argument to be made that veteran Marcus Epps has actually provided a higher floor at the position than Mukuba did.

DeVonta Smith Shouldn’t Have Played

Now this is the one part of Sirianni’s plan that I didn’t agree with. While I understand that some of the defensive starters had to play, simply because of the way Philadelphia’s defense rotates players and the limited game-day roster. Yet it was a dumb decision to have DeVonta Smith play in Week 18.

While I understand that Smith may have wanted to reach the 1,000 receiving yard mark, the coaching staff or front office should’ve saved him from himself. If it was to trigger a bonus in his contract, Philadelphia could’ve paid that out to him, regardless of if he reached the milestone or not.

It just seemed silly to risk the health of a player that is a key piece to Philadelphia’s already struggling offense. If the Eagles didn’t allow Saquon Barkley to pursue a literal all-time NFL record in Week 18 last season, why risk the health of Smith to achieve something that he has already done twice before? I don’t get it.

Tanner Meh-Kee

Many people, including myself, were excited to see Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee get another chance to showcase his talent during the regular season in Week 18. After a promising showing in Philadelphia’s first preseason game, McKee’s stock had seemingly never been higher.

Yet McKee crashed back down to earth with a rather underwhelming performance against the Commanders. While Philadelphia’s offensive line and play-calling did him no favors, it was still a disappointing showing for someone that was billed as a potential starting quarterback in the NFL with massive trade value.

McKee missed far too many throws and wasn’t as sharp as we’ve seen him be in the past. He completed just 21-of-40 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and one horrendous interception. While it sucked to see McKee struggle like he did, hopefully it will end the nonsensical discussion of him potentially starting over Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.

Tank Bigsby Put On a Show

To the surprise of absolutely nobody that has been watching him this season, Tank Bigsby was awesome against the Commanders. Bigsby had 16 carries for 75 yards and one touchdown. He also had one reception for 31 yards as he continued to showcase his explosiveness and big play ability.

Yet for some unknown reason, Bigsby didn’t touch the ball at all in the fourth quarter. His final touch of the game was a 13-yard run with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. It was honestly the perfect representation of Bigsby’s misuse all season long.

He has consistently showcased the ability to make the most of every touch that he has been given. Yet Philadelphia’s offensive coaching staff continues to shoot themselves in the foot by not putting players in position to succeed, over and over again.

Offensive Line Continued To Struggle

Eagles right guard Tyler Steen was the only starting offensive lineman that played in Week 18. Philadelphia’s offensive line has been an issue all season long and that was still the case against the Commanders. While rookie center Drew Kendall showed some promise, it was another underwhelming performance from Jeff Stoutland’s group.

Veteran Matt Pryor was forced to play all over the offensive line and never truly looked comfortable. According to Pro Football Focus, Pryor allowed three total pressures, including two sacks in Week 18. Pryor hasn’t exactly been the steadying veteran reserve that the Eagles hoped he would be when they signed him.

Kevin Patullo Failed His Players (Again)

The Eagles were essentially playing with house money in Week 18. While it would’ve been great for Philadelphia to win, many understood the team’s limitations with primarily backups in the game. Yet Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo still managed to somehow upset everyone.

After finding a ton of success running the ball through the first three quarters, Patullo completely abandoned the run game in the fourth quarter. The Eagles didn’t run the ball a single time in the game’s closing quarter as McKee completed 5-of-13 passes and took a sack on another dropback.

It was another upsetting performance from Patullo’s offense that has lacked flow and consistency for the entirety of the season. He continues to abandon certain parts of the offense at the most confusing times and it’s hard to have much faith in Philadelphia’s offense heading into the postseason.

Jalyx Hunt Is From Another Planet

Prior to the 2024 NFL Draft, I had labeled Houston Christian EDGE Jalyx Hunt as “my guy” at the position. Fast forward to 2026 and the former safety-turned-edge rusher just led the Eagles in both sacks (6.5) and interceptions (3) during the regular season.

The 24-year-old has quickly grown into one of the best players on Philadelphia’s defense. Yet his impact as a person and teammate off the field seems just as important. Hunt is constantly spotted on the sideline during Mic’d Up videos hyping up his teammates and being supportive.

While the Eagles may have been criticized for using a third-round pick on a “project” from a small school, Hunt is already making Philadelphia’s front office look smart. The scary part for the rest of the NFL is that Hunt is only starting to scratch the surface of his full potential.

Eagles Have an Embarrassment of Riches at LB

There was a dark cloud over the linebacker room in the City of Brotherly Love for several years. The Eagles didn’t value the position and consistently entered each season with an underwhelming group of misfits to man the second level of Philadelphia’s defensive front.

Yet the Eagles now have an embarrassment of riches at linebackers, which was on full display in Week 18. Philadelphia rested both Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean, which allowed Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to put on a show against the Commanders.

Trotter led the Eagles with 12 total tackles and also added two quarterback hits and a tackle for loss. Campbell also recorded double-digit total tackles and also had a pass breakup. It was an impressive showing from both players that proved just how stacked the Eagles are at linebacker.

Kelee Ring-Oh My God

Prior to the start of the regular season, many were clamoring for the Eagles to start Kelee Ringo at outside cornerback opposite of Quinyon Mitchell. After an inconsistent performance this season, Ringo finally got another chance to start in Week 18…and it wasn’t pretty.

While Ringo made a few solid tackles, he was called for two costly penalties in coverage. Yet Ringo’s biggest mistake came against Commanders quarterback Josh Johnson, when he turned his back and allowed the 39-year-old to walk in for the game-winning touchdown. It was a meme-worthy blunder that should end any discussions about him starting in Philadelphia.

Adoree’ Jackson Deserves an Apology

Many Eagles fans were upset when the team revealed that veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson would be starting this season. Yet the performance of Philadelphia’s backup cornerbacks in Week 18 exposed the truth: Starting Jackson was the right decision all along.

Kelee Ringo, Jakorian Bennett and Mac McWilliams were each called for at least one penalty against the Commanders. They all struggled to turn their heads around in coverage as Washington accumulated 98 penalty yards from their mistakes. It’s time for all of Jackson’s doubters to apologize for saying that any of these other players should’ve started over him in Philadelphia.