The Eagles Lose in More Ways Than One
The Commanders beat the Birds backups and Philly enters the playoffs as the #3 seed
Week 18 was jazz. A series of disparate notes weaving themselves together to craft a cohesive melody. The melody in this instance was playoff seeding, with several games determining which teams get into the tournament and which teams get home-field advantage. And week 18 did not disappoint. Every hour was electric. If the NFL is scripted (like they say in the depths of Reddit), then this was their best work yet.
If Week 18 was jazz, then the Philadelphia Eagles’ backups were a group of 4th graders playing the recorder in music class. Each one unsure which note they’re supposed to be playing at any given time or how it’s all supposed to come together. The “Backup Birds” fell to the Washington Commanders 24-17 in a game that can best be described as “gross.” Commanders’ third-string quarterback (and man who could do 14 different jersey swaps with himself) Josh Johnson had moments where he Space Jammed Patrick Mahomes, throwing his first touchdown pass since the first season of White Lotus premiered.
For the Birds, the #2 seed was on the line. With the 2-seed comes the opportunity to guarantee home-field advantage for most of the playoffs. And playing playoff football in Philadelphia is like trying to answer emails while being surrounded by a pack of Dobermanns. But earlier in the week, Nick Sirianni made the difficult decision to rest most of the Eagles’ starters, and rightfully so. The 2-seed is valuable, but so is resting your players before a long and arduous playoff push.
With the 2-seed still in arm's reach, the Eagles needed two things to happen: They needed their backups to beat a bad Commanders team at home, and for the Detroit Lions to upset the Chicago Bears. The Detroit Lions did their part, beating the Bears on a last-second field goal to give the Birds a chance. Unfortunately, the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles love to make everything hard.
Backup quarterback and occasional Prince Who Was Promised Tanner McKee looked inconsistent and overwhelmed by a struggling Commanders defense, much to the chagrin of several Philadelphia Sports Radio long-time listeners and first-time callers who at one point said that Tanner should start for the Birds. Backup quarterbacks are our drug of choice in Philadelphia. From A.J. Feeley to Jeff Garcia to Playoff God Nick Foles. If climbing greased poles didn’t exist, they’d be our favorite thing.
Unfortunately, Tanner couldn’t put it together in this one. He went 21/40 for 241 yards with a touchdown and an interception. When playing in rhythm, he made some truly great throws. But McKee also had moments where he missed open receivers, bailed out of clean pockets, and made questionable decisions. He looked like who he is, a backup quarterback.
On defense, Kelee Ringo and Jakorian Bennett seized the opportunity to start at cornerback by getting as many penalties as they could. Both backup cornerbacks singlehandedly fueled Washington’s offense through ill-timed pass interference and holding calls. Jakorian Bennett is a lover who gives out free hugs to any receiver running in his direction. Kelee Ringo isn’t quite sure where he is on the field at any given moment.
On a late touchdown run by Josh Johnson, Kelee Ringo completely turned his body away from a scrambling Johnson to guard an already covered receiver, allowing Johnson to score out of the kindness of his heart. If we learned anything from this game, it’s that gratitude is important. And I couldn’t be more grateful for Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and (fuck it) even Adoree Jackson.
Tank Bigbsy, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., and Jalyx Hunt were bright spots, showing that the Eagles have some talented depth. Bigsby ran like his name. He ran like his shoes were on fire. He ran like he might never touch the rock again. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. evoked visions of his father by consistently pressuring Josh Johnson and the Commanders’ running backs at the line of scrimmage. Jalyx Hunt is one of the biggest performers of the 2025 season and had two turnovers on the day.
For a meaningless game, this game still meant a lot. Even though the piece didn’t come together last night, there’s still a lot of music to play. The Birds will host the San Francisco 49ers in South Philly next weekend. The next chapter in the story of two teams who genuinely dislike each other. And the Eagles will be ready, fresh, and well-rested for another chance to hold the Lombardi Trophy.
Feel free to read the Game Recap or jump to Trending Up/Trending Down
GAME RECAP
Throughout the afternoon, Eagles fans were primarily tracking two games: Eagles vs. Commanders and Detroit vs. Chicago.
Eagles backup quarterback Tanner McKee took the field 1-0 in his career as a starter. Starting alongside McKee was starting receiver DeVonta Smith, who was in the game in pursuit of reaching the 1,000-yard receiving mark. After the Eagles’ first drive stalled, Washington quarterback Josh Johnson steadily moved the Commanders’ offense down the field with a quick passing attack and timely scrambles.
At 4:37 PM EST, the Detroit Lions struck first against the Chicago Bears, going up 3-0.
Josh Johnson overthrew Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks in the endzone, forcing the Commanders to settle for a field goal. Luckily for Eagles fans, Commanders kicker Jake Moody missed the 24-yard kick.
On the ensuing drive, McKee hit DeVonta Smith on a beautiful 27-yard pass to give DeVonta 1,000 yards on the season, and Philly immediately took Smith out of the game. McKee hit Jahan Dotson for 15 yards, and two plays later threw a shot over the middle to backup tight end Grant Calcaterra for a 15-yard touchdown to bring the Birds up 7-0.
The Commanders answered with a touchdown drive of their own. After a Jakorian Bennett pass interference call (his second penalty of the day already) gave the Commanders the ball at their own 1-yard line, Commanders running back Chris Rodriguez works his way into the endzone for the score to tie the game at 7-7.
At 5:05 PM EST, the Detroit Lions score on a 30-yard field goal to go up 3-0.
On Philly’s next drive, they worked their way into the redzone thanks to a healthy dose of Tank Bigsby. McKee delivered a short pass to Bigsby that went for 31 yards, which included Bigsby delivering one of the filthiest jukes you’ll ever see.
At 5:18 PM EST, Jared Goff throws a 15-yard TD to Jahmyr Gibbs to lead the Chicago Bears 13-0.
In the redzone, the Eagles lined up to go for it on 4th and 1, but called a timeout after attempting to get the Commanders to jump offsides. In a strange decision, the Eagles’ offense went back out onto the field to go for the touchdown, but McKee was flushed out of the pocket immediately, and the pass fell incomplete.
On Washington’s next drive, Jalyx Hunt dove to intercept a pass intended for Deebo Samuel to get Philadelphia the ball back. Tanner McKee responded to that opportunity by throwing an interception of his own to Washington safety Jeremy Reaves. After a 14-yard pass to Terry McLaurin and an 11-yard scramble by Josh Johnson, the Commanders nailed a 56-yard field goal attempt by Jake Moody before halftime to bring the score to 10-7.
On their second drive coming out of the half, Josh Johnson fumbled the snap, and it was recovered by Jalyx Hunt, his second turnover of the game.
6:13 PM EST, former Eagles and current Lions cornerback Avonte Maddox intercepts Bears quarterback Caleb Williams
Driven down the field by Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia made use of the turnover by scoring on a Tank Bigsby 2-yard run to bring the Eagles up 14-10.
At 6:24 PM EST, Lions kicker Jesse Bates makes a 25-yard field goal to lead Detroit over Chicago 16-0
Later in the quarter, McKee hits backup wide receiver Britain Covey for a 12-yard gain before finding backup tight end Kyler Granson for a beautiful 12-yard sideline sliding catch.
6:34 - Caleb Williams throws a 25-yard touchdown pass to Jahdae Walker, and the Bears score a two-point conversion to make it 16-8.
After a Tank Bigsby 13-yard run, the Eagles’ offense stalled out and settled for a 39-yard field goal to go up 17-10.
On the Commanders’ next drive, a pass interference call against backup cornerback Mac McWilliams gave Washington the ball in the redzone. It was the fourth penalty on an Eagles cornerback for the day. A false start by Washington backed them up 5 yards, but another pass interference call in the endzone on Jakorian Bennett gave Washington a fresh set of downs on the goal line. After the Eagles’ defense stopped Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt for a big loss on first down and a Chris Rodriguez run on second down, Josh Johnson found tight end John Bates for a touchdown to tie the game at 17-17.
6:53 PM EST, Caleb Williams throws a touchdown pass to Coleston Loveland, and the Bears score on a two-point conversion to tie the game against Detroit.
After a 3-and-out by the Eagles offense, a defensive pass interference call on Kelee Ringo gave the Commanders a 32-yard gain. The Commanders finished the drive by scoring on a Josh Johnson scramble, where Kelee Ringo turned away from Johnson to allow the score to give the Commanders a 24-17 lead.
With 2:32 left in the game, Tanner McKee hit Will Shipley for 12 yards. A few plays late,r he hit Jahan Dotson for 16. Facing a 4th and 3 as the drive stalled out, McKee threw an incomplete pass, targeting backup tight end Kyler Granson to give Washington the ball back.
7:19 PM EST, Lions kicker Jake Bates makes a last-second kick from 42 yards to give Detroit a win over Chicago.
The Eagles’ defense stepped up to stop Washington’s offense and give Tanner McKee the ball back with 1:03 remaining. After two straight incompletions and a 7-yard loss on a sack, McKee missed Jahan Dotson on a deep shot on 4th down to solidify the Eagles’ loss.
TRENDING UP
Jalyx Hunt: Hunt is on one this season. Big Pimpin’ had two turnovers in this one, including an insane diving interception catch. If Hunt can keep this momentum going, he could come up big in the playoffs.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr.: Yes I got teary-eyed when Jeremiah Trotter Jr. did his dad’s ax man dance. I’ll take all the nostalgia I can get. There was a time when the Eagles’ linebacker core was as effective as picking a lock with a toothbrush. But in this new era of Eagles football, we are linebacker-rich. We’re the Warren Buffett of linebackers. Trotter was absolutely everywhere this game, making huge plays to stop running backs short of the line of scrimmage and shedding blocks to get pressure on Josh Johnson. Shout out to Ax Man Jr. He’s always ready when he gets his opportunity.
DeVonta Smith: There was also a time when we relied on Jalen Reagor to save us. The Birds spent years in wide receiver wilderness. That’s why we’re so grateful for DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. With an insane catch, DeVonta Smith went over 1,000 for the season in this game, the 3rd time he’s gone over 1,000 yards in his 5-year career.
TRENDING DOWN
Kelee Ringo: I don’t know if Kelee had money on this game or if someone slipped Zzquil into his Gatorade, but my man was twisted in this one. Ringo gave up timely penalties and at one point literally turned his back to Josh Johnson as the Washington QB was running into the endzone. I can’t believe there was a time when we seriously considered Ringo as an option to start at the second cornerback slot. That being said, Ringo is a savant at kick return coverage, so there’s that.
Jakorian Bennett: The Washington Commanders played the “Jakorian Bennett - Kelee Ringo” offense today. Jakorian crashed out in this game, both figuratively and literally kept crashing into Terry McLaurin. Jakorian’s penalties were directly responsible for putting Washington in scoring position 3 times. 3 TIMES!? A great coaching point for Bennett is that you can’t tackle players before they have the ball.
Tanner McKee: Early in this game, I hit up the group chat and compared Tanner McKee to Tom Brady and said he could start for half of the teams in the league. I believe that this is the first time in my life that I performed witchcraft. Those texts singlehandedly cursed Tanner McKee and turned him from a prince into a frog, then into a Kenny Pickett. Consider this my formal apology for using my powers for evil.
HOT TAKES
Resting the Starters was the Right Move: The Birds field one of the healthiest teams in the league. In the playoffs, having your roster intact matters. I wish the Eagles beat the Commanders to guarantee the #2 seed and a rematch with the injured Green Bay Packers, but I agree that rest is more important than a chance at a higher seed. Philadelphia can field a refreshed roster against an embattled 49ers team coming off an intense loss to Seattle.
Give Josh Johnson a Farewell Tour: At 39 years old, Josh Johnson has played for 14 NFL teams. It’s our responsibility as a country to let him play for all 32 teams. We need to give Johnson one season where the remaining 18 teams sign him for at least one week. Let my man run the full gauntlet. Josh Johnson knows that the truth about playing quarterback in the NFL is that it’s just like playing Pokémon Blue Version. You gotta catch ‘em all (any by "em” I mean paychecks from every NFL team that exists).
THINGS ONLY I CARE ABOUT
Grant Calcaterra Looks Like One of the Cast Members of Super Troopers: No further explanation required
