The Philadelphia Eagles held a two-point lead just before the two-minute warning of a wild matchup with NFC East rivals Washington, needing just a first down to effectively seal the division title with two days to go.
With a fateful 3rd and 5 upcoming, head coach Nick Sirianni placed his trust in backup quarterback Kenny Pickett, who delivered a strike to DeVonta Smith that hit the star receivers hands, his helmet, and ultimately the Northwest Stadium turf.
His brutal drop cost the Eagles a first down deep in Commanders territory with two-minutes remaining, instead forced to settle for a Jake Elliott. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels' promptly marched down the field and fired a game-winning touchdown strike with 10 seconds left, and Smith made no excuses for his ultimately decisive drop.
"I just dropped the ball, there is nothing I can do about it now. I was calling for the ball," Smith said after the game. "When Kenny put it in my hands I have to make the God d**n play."
Such a heartbreaking loss for Eagles fans hardly appeared possibly through the early stages of Sunday's game, as Philadelphia's defense began the game with a turnover on downs and a subsequent fumble recovery. The Eagles offense, meanwhile, capitalized on a pair of short fields with two incisive touchdown drives, taking a 14-0 lead inside of eight minutes.
However, the ladder drive saw Jalen Hurts saw exit the contest after sustaining a major hit on a quarterback scramble, ultimately diagnosed with a concussion and ruled out for the remainder of the game. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett capped off the scoring movement with a passing touchdown to AJ Brown but squandered his first full possession with a costly interception, allowing Washington up off the mat with a four-play trip to the end zone. Saquon Barkley and Terry McLaurin traded explosive scoring touchdowns in the second quarter, giving Philadelphia a 21-14 lead at halftime, and despite Washington's five total turnovers, a mostly masterful performance from Daniels kept Washington in position for a clutch late-game drive.
It's an aggravatingly familiar game script for Eagles fans, with Barkley dropping a game-sealing first down reception during Philadelphia's Week 2 loss against Atlanta. The Eagles' loss Sunday drops them to 12-3 on the season, delivering a huge blow to their dreams of a No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, as they look to wrap up the division next weekend against Dallas.
This article originates on 247Sports.
Referee explains why the clock was erroneously stopped with 9 seconds in the Saints-Commanders game
Head referee Shawn Hochuli admitted to a potentially costly officiating error in the Saints-Commanders game Sunday.
The Washington Commanders narrowly escaped a spirited upset bid from the New Orleans Saints Sunday afternoon, conceding a touchdown on the final play of the game before turning away a decisive two-point conversion try to win 20-19.
However, the Saints' buzzer-beating touchdown seemed to be made possible by a clock error from Sunday's officiating crew, which veteran referee Shawn Hochuli admitted was a mistake to a pool of reporters.
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"The covering official mistakenly stopped the clock in that situation. The clock should not have stopped," Hochuli said. The 10th-year referee added that the play was not reviewable and declined to answer a subsequent question regarding whether the officiating crew was aware of the mistake.
Game should have been over. This last play (Rattler TD pass) never should have happened. It's unbelievable that this is the response. And that in this day and age refs can make a mistake, they know it's a mistake, everyone knows it's a mistake, but they can't/won't fix it. https://t.co/MDERziCGwq
— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) December 15, 2024
The Commanders entered the Superdome as seven-point favorites Sunday and were tracking toward an expectedly comfortable win to begin the fourth quarter, holding a 20-7 lead. However, New Orleans kicker Blake Grupe knocked through a pair of field goals to pull within one possession before quarterback Spencer Rattler shook off some early struggles to lead a two-minute drill deep into Washington territory.
On 4th and 3 at the eight-yard line, Rattler kept the game alive with a completion to Foster Moreau, but the tight end was tackled in bounds which should have kept the clock running. However, the game clock was erroneously stopped for four seconds and Rattler managed to spike the ball with three seconds remaining, meaning that the game would have likely ended without the officiating error.
Rattler capitalized on this good fortune with another pass to Moreau, this time in the end zone that trimmed New Orleans' deficit to just a point. With a loss effectively eliminating the Saints from playoff competition, interim coach Darren Rizzi boldly elected to go for two, but Rattler's pass fell incomplete and New Orleans dropped to 5-9.
"I just felt like the way the game played out. AK [Alvin Kamara] had gone out. He was out for the game. MVS [Marquez Valdes-Scantling] got banged up," Rizzi said, per John Hendrix of Sports Illustrated, about his decision to go for two. "I don't regret it whatsoever."
This article originates on 247Sports.
Buckeyes in the NFL: Terry McLaurin shines, Zach Harrison scores, Sam Hubbard injured on TD
A look at how the Buckeyes did in the League this week.
Another week of NFL games is in the books. Week 15 of the 2025 season began on Thursday night and concluded on Monday with two primetime games. Only three weeks remain in the season, so things are heating up across the League.
On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Rams won a touchdown-less 12-6 divisional game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Sunday featured a number of compelling contests. The Washington Commanders held off a late New Orleans Saints comeback to win 20-19. The Houston Texans defeated the Miami Dolphins 20-12 for an important victory. The Buffalo Bills won a wild 48-42 game on the road against the Detroit Lions in a battle of two of the top teams in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs handled business against the Cleveland Browns, while Ohio's other team, the Cincinnati Bengals, beat the Tennessee Titans 37-27.
There were also plenty of games that weren't as close. The Baltimore Ravens won 35-14 over the struggling New York Giants. The Dallas Cowboys got a rare triumph, defeating the Carolina Panthers 30-14. The Denver Broncos handed the Indianapolis Colts a 31-13 defeat. The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-13 in the Battle of Pennsylvania. On Sunday Night Football, the Green Bay Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 30-13.
Monday Night Football featured two games. The Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears 30-12 and the Atlanta Falcons won 15-9 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
With another week in the books, Bucknuts looked back at the slate of games to see how each former Ohio State star did in the NFL.
