Daily Slop – 18 Jan 25: DIVISIONAL PLAYOFF GAME DAY for the Commanders, ‘Masters of the Walk-off Win’

A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders

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Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

It’s not dumb luck: The Commanders mastered the walk-off win

Winning-time moments go Washington’s way — again and again and again and again. The team practices such situations and has won five straight on the final play.

Washington has won its past five games (and seven total this season) on the last play from scrimmage — a feat so rare, so absurd, so unlike the Commanders of the past, that their road to Detroit will long be remembered.

Washington is the first team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to win four consecutive games with the winning score coming in the final 10 seconds of regulation or in overtime, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Every team practices situational football in some fashion. But not all go to great lengths to drill it and teach it consistently, day after day, week after week. Quinn has done that since he arrived in Washington, emphasizing those game-altering moments in nearly every meeting, workout and walk-through.

This season, Washington has proved repeatedly it’s one of the league’s most polished teams in such critical situations. The two-minute drill, the final four minutes of a game, the final 30 seconds, got-to-have-it plays, critical fourth downs, overtime possessions — all “winning-time moments.”

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Washington Post (paywall)

Fourth and ‘go’: The Commanders and Lions lead an NFL revolution

Few NFL teams made going for it on fourth down a larger part of their identity this season than the Lions and Commanders, who will meet on Saturday night.

This season, NFL teams adhered to widely accepted probabilistic recommendation on fourth down with greater frequency than ever before. Few teams, if any, made going for it on fourth down a larger part of their identity than the Lions and Commanders. They eschew punts and field goals at a high rate, and when they do go for it, they usually succeed. Including the playoffs, they rank first and second in the percentage of time they kept their offense on the field when doing so increased their win probability, according to Ben Baldwin, an NFL analyst with the Athletic.

Detroit went for it on fourth down at a higher rate than any other team and converted 22 of 33 fourth-down attempts, the seventh-highest percentage in the NFL. With quarterback Jayden Daniels presenting defenses a nightmarish blend of foot speed and passing savvy, the Commanders went 20 of 23 on fourth down tries — 87 percent, by far the NFL’s best. With their decision-making and execution, the Commanders added more expected points on fourth down in the regular season than any offense since at least 2002, according to Baldwin.

[Against Tampa Bay] went for it on fourth down (and missed) from the Tampa Bay 20 on their first drive, then went for it again on fourth and one from the Tampa Bay 23, converted and went on to score a touchdown to cap their second drive.

Quinn’s decisions on the Commanders’ opening two drives underscored the simple arithmetic underpinning fourth-down aggression: Seven is more than three times two.

Had the Commanders kicked two field goals, they would have scored six points and held the ball for three fewer minutes. By going for it, they scored seven points and left the Buccaneers’ dangerous offense with less time. The odds of gaining the necessary yards, especially with a quarterback of Daniels’s skill set and poise, were greater than 50 percent each time.

Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, a hot head coaching candidate, professed belief in Campbell’s aggression, even if it sometimes places his defense in challenging positions. He has established a specific response. Watch for it if the Lions fail on fourth down: Their defensive players immediately charge on the field at full speed.

“That’s the mindset,” Glenn said. “If we don’t make a fourth down, it’s more TV time for [the defense].”

Timidity will not decide the outcome between the Commanders and Lions.

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Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)

5 creative plays from Kingsbury in win over Buccaneers

Breaking down 5 creative play designs by Kliff Kingsbury from the Commanders playoff win over the Bucs

Throughout the season, regardless of the result, the Commanders have had a number of creative designs in each game. That continued in their playoff victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night and in fact, some of those creative calls came in key situations to help the Commanders win the game. So I thought as a fun way to round off this week, I could break down five of my favorite creative play designs by Kingsbury and his staff from the win over the Bucs.

20 Pony Swing Screen

This one isn’t the most creative design of the game and it’s something we’ve seen a few times from the Commanders this season, but it was used to set up another more creative play later on, which I’ll get to shortly. But it’s worth highlighting because it’s still a very well designed play. To start with, the Commanders are in a unique personnel group. They have two running backs, three receivers and zero tight ends on the field. That is known as 20 personnel for two running backs and no tight ends. It also has a “Pony” tag, which is a common term to specify that both running backs on the field are traditional running backs and neither is a typical fullback type.

With Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols in the backfield alongside Jayden Daniels, the Commanders can go in a lot of different directions. They can run the ball, using one of Ekeler or McNichols as a fullback, they can use read-option to include quarterback Jayden Daniels in the run game or they could even use a triple option with all three being legitimate threats to get the ball. But instead, what they do here is motion Ekeler from the backfield out to the flat just before the snap. While Ekeler is in motion, Daniels snaps the ball. Left guard Nick Allegretti pulls to the right side, faking a counter run scheme with McNichols following him. Meanwhile, the rest of the offensive line all slide left and look to get out in front of a swing screen to Ekeler in the flat.

You might say the Commanders get a bit lucky here because the slot corner over Olamide Zaccheaus blitzes, taking himself out of the play, but given how Zaccheaus transitions to blocking the linebacker inside who is significantly bigger than him, I think it’s fair to think Zaccheaus would have been able to handle the slighter cornerback. On top of that, the Commanders likely called this knowing a slot blitz was coming. That blitz does help though because it gives the Commanders an extra blocker out in front of the screen.

Typically, Zaccheaus would have to block the slot and then they’d be relying on left tackle Brandon Coleman to reach and cut off the linebacker, which is never easy for an offensive lineman to do in space, regardless of how athletic they are. But with the slot blitzing, Zaccheaus can work to the linebacker with a good angle. Coleman has a bit of extra time to make up ground but when he gets there, Zaccheaus is doing such a good job on the linebacker that Coleman can just continue to work down the field to find another block. All this sets up a lane nicely for Ekeler to work into, picking up an easy first down before even being contacted.

It was a nicely designed and particularly well timed call, but what made it even better was that Kingsbury was able to build another play off of it later in the game.

20 Pony Swing Screen/QB Draw RPO

I said the previous play built into another play later in the game. This is that play. You can see the same 20 Pony personnel here, with two running backs, no tight ends and three wide receivers. It’s almost the exact same look that we saw previously, but Kingsbury changes it slightly. Instead of having both backs either side of Daniels, Kingsbury moves to the pistol, with Austin Ekeler lining up to the left of Daniels as a “fullback” while Jeremy McNichols lines up directly behind Daniels as the running back. It’s not a huge change and from an offensive perspective, it really makes zero difference, but it’s just enough to give the defense something extra to think about. It’s similar enough to remind the defense of the previous play, while being different enough to prevent them from thinking a change up is coming.

The previous play was just a swing screen with a fake run. There was no run option built in. You can tell that by the way the offensive line played it. Left tackle Brandon Coleman, center Tyler Biadasz and right guard Sam Cosmi all work out to the left on a screen pass, none of them try to block a run play inside just in case the ball is handed off. But this time, the play called is a true run-pass option (RPO). McNichols is the one that motions out to the flat this time as the swing screen option, but you can see as Daniels secures the snap, he looks directly at the back side linebacker to read his intentions. If the linebacker works inside to the run option, Daniels has a good look outside to throw the swing screen. Here though, the linebacker clearly is alert to the threat of the swing screen that they had seen earlier, so he’s sinking back into coverage. What helps that is the fact that Austin Ekeler immediately works up to the line of scrimmage like he’s releasing to run a route, rather than delaying and faking a hand off from Daniels.

With the linebacker sinking backwards into coverage, the Commanders are presented with a better look to run the ball into. However, the issue now is that one running back is in the flat on the swing screen, while the other has already taken off towards the line of scrimmage. This is where having a mobile quarterback like Jayden Daniels comes into the equation. With McNichols in the flat and Ekeler seemingly running a route, the defense all sinks back assuming it’s a pass. But Daniels can then become the running back with Ekeler turning into a fullback as the lead blocker for him on a quarterback draw. Daniels follows Ekeler’s path and picks up a nice seven yards before getting down to protect himself.

It’s a well designed RPO in its own right, but the fact that Kingsbury set it up with the swing screen from a very similar look earlier in the game, and had both plays hit for positive gains makes them both very good designs that play off each other perfectly.

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Jayden Daniels is the Hail Mary Washington, D.C. football fans prayed for

The star rookie’s impact is felt in the city far beyond the field

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The Athletic (paywall)

Commanders’ celebrity fans, after a generation of woe, can cheer again with both eyes open

“Somebody asked me, ‘How do you translate what it feels like for the team to be where it is now, for someone who’s not a sports fan?’” [actor Jeffrey] Wright said on The Rich Eisen Show last month. “The way I would put it is like this: you have a long friend — childhood friend, that you absolutely adored. And, that friend’s been in a coma. For two decades. And finally woke up. And you’re throwing the ball together, again. You’re out in the yard.”

“We were pretty bad most of my life,” Kevin Durant said Thursday.

Durant, of course, is not talking about any of his basketball teams. All of them have been good, often quite good, and championship-winning good more than once. And he is a future NBA Hall of Famer. But the team of his youth, the team of his city, was so, so bad for so, so long. And now … it isn’t.

Durant grew up in Seat Pleasant, Md., a stone’s throw from Northwest Stadium. Through the lean years, he stayed loyal to his local football squad, cheering for Santana Moss, Sean Taylor, Lavar Arrington and Jason Campbell.

“No, I didn’t get clowned,” he says. “It was just cool to see, because I grew up close to the stadium and you kind of heard the roar of the crowd. You kind of got immersed in the culture of the NFL, being that close to the stadium. I don’t know; it was just cool having a team that close more than anything else.

“I wasn’t really tripping about wins and losses. It was the fact that I had a stadium and a team in my backyard that was cool. … you could always hear the crowd and you watched it on TV, but I never scored no tickets.”

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Sports Illustrated

Five Questions Ahead of Commanders vs. Lions

The Washington Commanders are visiting the Detroit Lions for the Divisional Round.

How much will David Montgomery play given his rush to return from injury and Jahmyr Gibbs’ performance in Week 18?

It’s hard to say at this exact point how much Montgomery will be involved. On one hand, I could see him taking back over his usual role as he said he doesn’t expect to have any precautions in his return. However, the other element of this is that Jahmyr Gibbs has been stellar throughout the three games Montgomery missed. With the Lions normally opting to ride the hot hand, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gibbs is the lead back and Montgomery helps out situationally. His presence alone will give the team a boost, and he’ll find ways to contribute throughout the game.

What’s one thing people should know about the Lions that cannot be found in a box score?

It’s all about culture. Everyone in the Lions’ team facility has a singular focus in mind, and that’s to win a Super Bowl. To this point, they’ve embodied the message that Dan Campbell has spent about not looking too far into the future and focusing on the next opponent. With an entire organization completely bought in on what the front office and coaching staff have built, the Lions have reached a level of cohesion is hard to find within the NFL.

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Hogs Haven

Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions: Five Questions with Pride of Detroit

[H]ow has Aaron Glenn managed to patch a defense together with duct tape and glue after losing so many defensive players to injury? How has he adapted?

Blitzing at a higher rate than nearly any other defense in the league. According to Next Gen Stats, since Aidan Hutchinson’s injury in Week 7, the Lions have blitzed on 42.5% of drop backs, the second-highest rate over that timespan. After losing five starters to season-ending injuries (Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Alim McNeil, Carlton Davis, Derrick Barnes), the defense was relying on players who had been in Detroit for less than a cup of coffee to play an upwards of 40 percent of snaps like Jonah Williams and Kwon Alexander.

In Week 18, with everything on the line for a team that was given the league’s earliest bye week (5), Glenn leaned more heavily into the blitz and man-coverage principles. Detroit played man coverage on 66.7% of drop backs, the second-highest clip among NFL teams this season. The Lions played two-and-a-half times more Cover-0 (25 snaps) over their final three games, than the next closest team–Miami Dolphins with 10–according to Next Gen Stats. He blitzed Sam Darnold on 53.3% of his drop backs, the highest rate he’d faced all season long.

Glenn is unafraid, and he’s made the most out of some ridiculously bad injury luck. He’s so ready to be a head coach with the way he carries himself and makes himself available to players who want to be coached. Between the two of these coordinators, we might start talking about Dan Campbell–a disciple of the Bill Parcells tree and the Sean Payton branch–being the foundation from which other coaches come from.

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Commanders.com

How Dyami Brown’s clutch performance helped end playoff drought

Fighting through injury and playing alongside Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin, Brown hasn’t had a flashy season on paper. Brown didn’t record a single stat despite being on the field for 56% of offensive snaps in the Commanders’ Week 1 bout with the Buccaneers. Additionally, he had just 30 receptions for 308 yards and one touchdown in the regular season.

Brown credits the Commanders’ newfound culture and locker room camaraderie for boosting his confidence and getting through some of the more challenging moments he’s faced this season.

All in all, Brown recorded five receptions for a team-high 89 yards and one touchdown. His breakout performance helped Washington make history, ending a nearly 20-year playoff win drought.

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Upcoming opponent

Pride of Detroit

Lions vs. Commanders preview, score prediction: On Paper

Our preview, statistical breakdown, and prediction for Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders in the Division Round of the NFL playoffs.

Four different players (Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams, Jahmyr Gibbs) have caught at least 50 passes this season. Detroit is just one of five teams who accomplished that this season (Buccaneers, Bengals, Falcons, Dolphins).

If there is a weakness to Detroit’s passing game, it’s oddly their pass protection. It’s not a huge liability, but considering the offensive line’s reputation, it is a bit surprising to see their pedestrian ranking in several categories. They’re 15th in pressure rate (33.5%), 17th in PFF’s pass blocking grade (68.6), and 12th in ESPN’s pass block win rate.

Left guard Graham Glasgow has been the biggest liability, allowing a team-high 36 pressures, while left tackle Taylor Decker has allowed eight sacks. If there’s a side to attack, it’s Detroit’s left. However, keep an eye on right guard as well—Kevin Zeitler has yet to practice this week, which could mean rookie Christian Mahogany gets his second career start.

Washington’s defense started out atrociously, but has been a more average unit as of late. Yardage totals look like this could be a better unit than they actually are, and that’s because teams are running all over them, despite often trailing in these games. The Commanders have faced the second-fewest pass attempts in the NFL, which is pretty shocking for a 12-5 team. You’d think teams would be throwing more to play catch up, but most of Washington’s win have been close enough for teams to stay true to their run game.

Anyway, in their first year under defensive-minded head coach Dan Quinn, they’ve been a relatively below-average unit. They rank:

• 16th in yards per attempt (7.0)
• 19th in passer rating (93.9)
• 22nd dropback EPA (0.099)
• 13th in dropback success rate (45.7%)

But as you may expect, when it comes to the first year in a new defensive scheme, they’ve gotten better as the season has progressed. Here are those same statistics in the back half of the season (Week 10 and beyond):

• 6.2 yards per attempt
• 5th in passer rating (84.5)
• 18th dropback EPA (0.116)
• 4th in dropback success rate (42.8%)
• 18th in DVOA

We’re talking bottom half of the league to top 10 in some categories.

That said, the Commanders struggle to put pressure on quarterback and cover. They rank 17th in pressure percentage and 16th in PFF pass rush grade despite the fact that they blitz more often than all but five teams (32.9% rate). In terms of coverage, they rank 29th in PFF grade, and their best cornerback may be rookie Mike Sainristil—although getting Marshon Lattimore back from injury could be big for them.

Player to watch: Frankie Luvu. Washington’s do-it-all linebacker can be a threat both in coverage (seven passes defended, one INT) and pass rush (8.0 sacks, 36 pressures).

Advantage: Lions +2.5. Very few teams have figured out a way to slow the Lions’ passing attack, and I don’t think the Commanders have the horses to do so. The only thing that concerns me in this matchup is Washington’s duo of linebackers (Luvu and Bobby Wagner). Goff sometimes struggles against good linebacking corps, and that is undoubtedly the strength of this defense.

The one thing to consider—and it pains me to say this—is that they run a ton of designed quarterback runs on the same level that Josh Allen and the Bills do. Daniels has 62 designed runs this season, which is actually significantly more than Allen (50). Only Lamar Jackson (79) and Hurts (87) have more. Detroit has particularly struggled with those (think back to Allen, Anthony Richardson).

Advantage: Commanders + 2. Washington has rushed for over 200 yards six times this season. They’re extremely dangerous, and could very well replicate what the Bills did a few weeks back. Anzalone’s return should help settle that down a bit, but Detroit remains very beat up and vulnerable on their defensive line, and Washington’s use of misdirection could really challenge their discipline.

The current trajectory of these teams has me believing it’ll be closer than the spread, but the Lions should still come out on top. Lions 34, Commanders 27.

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Podcasts & videos

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Detroit Bound for Divisional Round + Memories in the Motor City + WR Dyami Brown | The Player’s Club

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Commanders Fan Jeffrey Wright Is THRILLED with Franchise’s Stunning Rebirth | The Rich Eisen Show

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NFC East links

Blogging the Boys

Report: Dallas Cowboys were caught off guard by Mike McCarthy leaving

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini…has spoken to around the league aren’t quite buying it, she mentioned that such is the case because the Cowboys were always planning on Mike McCarthy returning.

“There’s definitely a camp that I’m talking to that’s like… this is not real. This is not real. They talked. This is all flirting. This is all… Jerry was not expecting Mike McCarthy and the Cowboys to go separate ways.”

“The plan was to bring him back. They did not have a plan in place here.”

“So a lot of this was scrambling, from what I can gather, of just… I need to figure out how to fix this. Quickly. And so now we’re seeing the coaches get called in.”

[I]t does sound believable that Dallas was not quite prepared for a McCarthy-less world and to be conducting a coaching search this week. We have discussed many times how unorthodox their approach to McCarthy was during the first week of the offseason. It stands to reason that they thought they could get into a discussion with him and hash things out.

Perhaps McCarthy just got fed up after going through the entire 2024 calendar year in the final year of his contract and all of the chaos that (predictably) came with that, not to mention the chaos that came by the franchise dragging out deals for two of his best players in CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott. Obviously all of that even impacted the former being at training camp which was a clear factor in the struggles early on in the season.

Another NFL insider in Adam Schefter touched on some of this overall idea on the latest episode of Pardon My Take and specifically addressed how Dallas denied the Chicago Bears’ request to interview Mike McCarthy during the week of purgatory that they trapped us all in (McCarthy has since interviewed with Chicago, for the record). His answer for it all literally was that this is just the Dallas Cowboys’ way, unbelievably.

“When they said no… you didn’t know whether that meant they were going to try to get something done… or whether they were just kind of… being Dallas.”

Maybe McCarthy got tired of Dallas being Dallas, so to speak, and perhaps that was why he left the team and put them in this spot. Whatever ultimately happened the Cowboys are now conducting a coaching search.

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NFL league links

Articles

Washington Post (paywall)

Dan Campbell and Dan Quinn: A coaching style the NFL needs to covet

NFL teams must identify and collect as many microscopic edges as they can find, and the coaches of the Lions and Commanders provide one blueprint.

We have this bad habit of tossing coaches into two insufficient categories: offensive genius and leader of men. It’s silly. It makes it seem like a coach can be only clever (and to hell with praising defensive innovation) or a force of nature. In this construct, Campbell and Quinn win because of their personalities and nothing else. While that may be their defining trait, there’s way more to them. The underestimation helps them thrive.

With the hiring cycle running concurrently with the playoffs, there are also good jobs on the line, and perhaps the examples of Campbell and Quinn can contribute to a more layered understanding of leadership and current trends in the profession.

In the NFL, teams must identify and collect as many microscopic edges as they can find. They must hope those tiny differences add up to sustainable success.

Quinn will coach more talented Commanders teams in the future. General Manager Adam Peters is just getting started, too, you know. They don’t have 13-5 talent right now, but they have a will to be 13-5. They have a handful of marquee players performing like marquee players. They have a rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who could tower over the league soon. And there is a confidence in everything they’re doing because the top, middle and bottom of the organization are all in alignment, finally.

The Lions and Commanders aren’t good because they embody everything their coaches like about football. They’re good because their coaches grasp the importance of expanding their palates. They’re comfortable letting their assistants coach because they have hired good people. And they’re good at managing up, knowing that they can tweak schemes to fit the talent the personnel department provides.

Campbell ties it all together by preaching grit. Quinn won a Super Bowl with former Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, who gave the same sermon with a different delivery style. You can’t inspire that kind of mettle without trust.

If the NFL weren’t so stuffy and corporate, you could imagine Campbell and Quinn meeting at a bar near Ford Field late Saturday night. The losing coach would buy the winner’s drinks. The winner wouldn’t be able to resist ordering a round for every patron. They would tease, curse and playfully punch each other on the shoulder. You would think they were best friends. You would come to realize they’re just two dudes who love coaching ball.

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ESPN

NFL playoffs divisional round: Picks, schedule, odds, injuries

(6) Commanders at (1) Lions

Saturday, 8 p.m. ET | Fox | ESPN BET: DET -9 (55.5 O/U)

Commanders storyline to watch: If Washington wants to beat top-seeded Detroit, it must continue to have success on key downs offensively and keep the Lions’ offense on the sideline. The good news for the Commanders is rookie Jayden Daniels has the NFL’s best QBR on third and fourth downs (93.5) with 12 touchdowns to two interceptions. He has a perfect 100.0 QBR on fourth down, completing eight of eight throws for two touchdowns and seven first downs. — John Keim

Lions storyline to watch: Lions running back David Montgomery says he is excited to return for the divisional round after sitting out Detroit’s final three regular-season games because of an MCL injury. Montgomery says he is confident in the knee and “wouldn’t be out there if I wasn’t ready.” In his absence, Detroit’s other RB Jahmyr Gibbs has carried the load, with a career-best four touchdowns in the regular season finale versus Minnesota. But Gibbs told ESPN that he has “missed [Montgomery] for a long time” and he’s “real excited” for Montgomery’s return. — Eric Woodyard

Stat to know: No team was better at racking up yards after the catch (YAC) than the Lions, who led the league in total YAC (2,669) and on a per reception (6.7) basis during the regular season. The Commanders were excellent at limiting YAC, giving up a league-low in total YAC (1,551) and ranking 10th per reception (5.1). — ESPN Research

Matchup X factor: Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams. Williams had 16 receptions of 20 or more yards this season, and Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson can set him up to flip the field. Look for the schemed shot plays over the top, plus the in-breaking concepts that create catch-and-run targets for Williams. — Bowen

Injuries: Commanders | Lions

Officiating nugget: Referee Ron Torbert’s regular-season crew averaged 17.1 flags per game, third most in the NFL. That includes 49 for offensive holding, which was the fourth most of any crew. The Lions tied for the second-fewest holding penalties (14). The Commanders had 21 (16th most). — Seifert

(4) Rams at (2) Eagles

Sunday, 3 p.m. ET | NBC/Peacock | ESPN BET: PHI -6 (43.5 O/U)

Rams storyline to watch: The Rams’ defense gave up 314 rushing yards to the Eagles in Week 12, including 255 to running back Saquon Barkley, something that has stuck with the unit. Of the previous eight players to record 200 or more rushing yards against a team in the regular season and meet that team again in the playoffs, none ran for more than 200 yards in the second meeting, per ESPN Research. — Sarah Barshop

Eagles storyline to watch: The Eagles led all teams in the wild-card round with four takeaways in their stifling 22-10 win over the Packers. Philadelphia ranked 30th in turnover margin (minus-6) over the first five weeks of the season. Since returning from their Week 6 bye, the Eagles are tied for first with the Bills in turnover margin (plus-17). — Tim McManus

Stat to know: The Rams had eight different players with at least half a sack in their wild-card win over the Vikings, which was the most by any team in a playoff game since individual sacks became official in 1982. — ESPN Research

Matchup X factor: Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith. I see matchup advantages for Smith as a multilevel target in Philadelphia’s pass game. Smith can be schemed as an underneath option for quarterback Jalen Hurts from slot alignments, while also testing the perimeter on vertical throws against a Rams defense that gave up 57 receptions of 20 or more yards in the regular season, tied for fourth most in the league. — Bowen

Injuries: Rams | Eagles

Betting nugget: The Rams are 4-1 ATS (3-2 straight up) in road playoff games under coach Sean McVay (since 2018). Los Angeles has averaged 25.4 points per game in those contests. Read more. — ESPN Research

Officiating nugget: Referee Shawn Smith threw only three flags for roughing the passer in the regular season, tied for the second fewest. His crew was also relatively light on offensive holding, throwing the sixth fewest flags (33) in the league. The Eagles drew only 14 offensive holding flags from their opponents, tied for third fewest. — Seifert

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Front Office Sports

Roger Goodell Keeps Beating the Drum for 18-Game NFL Season

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview with Bloomberg that it would be a “logical step” to expand the season to 18 games.

The NFL commissioner appeared on Bloomberg TV and made comments about further expansion of the regular season, while also noting that a preseason game would be eliminated in the process.

“We would keep within that 20-game framework,” Goodell said. “We went to 16 and four, and now 17 and three. So 18 and two is a logical step.”

The regular season shifted from 16 games to 17 between 2020 and 2021. Goodell’s goal for at least the past 15 years has been to expand to 18 games, so it’s not surprising he continues to bang the drum.

Former Fox Sports executive Pat Crakes agreed that an additional package would likely be created out of an expanded season. “The most probable route is for the league to take the incremental games and create a near weekly package (something like 14 dates) played at international sites,” Crakes told FOS. “That package could be sold to a new partner who really could use the NFL and would pay the league’s asking price, which would be a lot. At the top of the list of potential partners would be companies such as Netflix and WBD, both of which would probably welcome a weekly slate of games and also have strong international distribution that would help rationalize paying some multiple above the current contract’s per game value.”

International growth is a big part of the NFL’s future plans. There have been NFL games staged in Brazil, Mexico, the U.K., and Germany in recent years. Next season, the Dolphins will play in Spain, and it has been rumored the Steelers and Packers could play in Ireland.

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