The Commanders were trailing by seven points with two seconds left to go in their Week 4 matchup with the Eagles when Sam Howell threw a touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson.
That score left Washington with a key decision: Would the team kick the traditional extra point to try to send the game to overtime, or would they go for a two-point conversion to try to win it?
The Commanders chose the former option. It didn't pay off.
Washington won the overtime coin toss but ended up going three-and-out. As a result, the Commanders were forced to punt the ball back to the Eagles, who mounted a game-winning drive that Jake Elliott capped off with a 54-yard field goal to seal a 34-31 Philadelphia win.
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The Commanders' loss made many wonder why the team elected to play for overtime rather than try to win the game at the end of regulation.
Ron Rivera explained during his postgame news conference that Washington considered doing so. However, there was a simple reason that the team felt it was better to play for overtime.
"Those guys, they were gassed," Rivera said of his offense. "They really were. It was a long-ass drive. They were hurrying; they were hustling."
"I really thought we had the chance," Rivera added while addressing his team's chances of winning in overtime. "And that's too bad."
Rivera's explanation makes some sense, though some will point out that asking that "gassed" offense to take the field for another drive in overtime may not have made much sense either. Of course, they had a break of a couple of minutes before the extra period began, so the decision is at least understandable.
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Despite the disappointing defeat, Rivera came away from it encouraged by his team's performance. Notably, he praised quarterback Sam Howell for a bounce-back performance, as he threw for 290 yards and a touchdown one week after tossing four interceptions.
Rivera also credited offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for having a balanced game plan against the Eagles and was particularly complimentary of the team's game-tying drive to end regulation.
"We've had a couple of drives like that this year already," Rivera acknowledged. "But to do it against that team, that, to me, was very impressive."
So, while the loss was a painful one for Washington, Rivera believes that it will hep the team in its quest to improve as the season goes on.
"There's no moral victories, but we're gonna learn from it," he said. "And I think this is gonna help us going forward."
