Six NFL teams converted 20 or more fourth-down attempts in the regular season. Only one did so in fewer than 30 attempts. The Commanders converted their first 11 attempts and 20 of 23 to set an NFL record for the highest conversion percentage (87.0) by a team with more than 10 attempts.
Ten teams in the past 25 years have converted more than 80 percent of fourth-down plays, but the Commanders are the only one of those team to do so with more than 15 attempts. And they have continued to go for it during the playoffs by converting six of nine attempts in earning two victories.
One of the Commanders’ three failed attempts in the regular season proved costly in a 26-18 loss to the Eagles on Nov. 14. The Commanders evened the score with a 36-33 win Dec. 22. The rubber match will be in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
In the first meeting, the Eagles scored touchdowns on three consecutive possessions to pull away for the victory. They took their first lead at 12-10 with 12 minutes to go on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jalen Hurts. With momentum shifting, the Commanders gambled in an attempt to stem the tide.
Rookie Jayden Daniels completed four passes for 43 yards to move Washington into position to do just that. The fourth was a 9-yard pass to tight end John Bates that left the Commanders with two plays to gain one yard for a first down at the Eagles’ 24-yard line. Two running plays did not do it, however.
Brian Robinson Jr. gained nothing on second down and lost a yard on third, so the Commanders turned to Daniels on fourth-and-2. The play was doomed from the start. Daniels bobbled the direct snap and had to avoid right guard Sam Cosmi pulling to the left before trying to make a run for it.
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun saw to it that Daniels would get nowhere near a first down, blasting the quarterback out of bounds at the 26. A field goal would have given the Commanders the lead, but it would not have lasted long as the Eagles scored touchdowns on their next two possessions.
One squandered opportunity did not make Commanders head coach Dan Quinn think twice about going for it. Fourth-down conversions paved the way for the Commanders to pull out a 23-20 win over the Buccaneers in a wild-card game and knock off the top-seeded Lions 45-31 on Saturday.
Quinn passed on a field goal on fourth-and-goal at the 3 with Washington trailing Tampa Bay 17-13 in the fourth quarter. The Commanders came away with nothing when Daniels misfired on a pass. A fumble by the Buccaneers at the 13 gave the Commanders another shot to convert a fourth down.
Daniels did just that on fourth-and-2 at the 5 with a go-ahead touchdown pass to wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Quinn did not wait until the fourth quarter against the Lions to try his luck again. The Commanders’ first possession ended with backup quarterback Marcus Mariota losing a yard on fourth-and-1 at Detroit’s 28-yard line.
Washington’s third possession produced an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that was sustained by Daniels’ 7-yard pass to tight end Zach Ertz on fourth-and-3 at the Detroit 9. Daniels was at it again in the second half, converting fourth downs on each of the Commanders’ two touchdown drives.
The Commanders were 3-for-5 on fourth down against Tampa Bay and 3-for-4 against Detroit. The Buccaneers and Eagles tied for the most fourth-down conversions allowed in the regular season at 19 apiece. At the Eagles will know what to expect when the Commanders are facing a fourth down.
And that will be Daniels. He completed all eight of his passes on fourth down in the regular season with seven resulting in first downs. His nine fourth-down carries resulted in 85 yards and eight first downs. Quinn put his faith in Daniels and the second pick in the 2024 NFL draft has proved worthy.
The Eagles converted 19 of 27 fourth downs (70 percent) in the regular season and are 2-for-2 in the playoffs. They have added “Tush Push” to football lingo with Hurts running for 16 touchdowns, the most by a quarterback this season.
