Former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III didn’t hold back after watching how the Washington Commanders’ season opener ended Sunday, posting his reaction directly on X following Washington’s 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
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“The Play Call by the Washington Commanders on the 2PT Conversion was HORRIFIC…. BUT…. If it was executed properly, it would have work. Crazy.” Griffin wrote on X.
The play in question came with 1:01 remaining, right after quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with rookie running back Antonio Williams for a 1-yard touchdown on third-and-goal, pulling Washington within two points. Needing a two-point conversion to force overtime, offensive coordinator David Blough called for a shovel pass.
Daniels took the snap and threw to tight end John Bates, but Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo was already there and stopped Bates before he could get anywhere, ending Washington’s chance of leveling the score.
“The goal of the quarterback on this play is to attack the defensive end downhill laterally to open up the space for the guy on the shuffle pass coming underneath,” Griffin explained. “But it starts with the first read. The first read on this play is the guy in the flat, and this is why Jayden Daniels missed it. Jayden Daniels’ pre-snap already sees that there’s three-over-two, so he’s anticipating that when the flat goes, it’s going to be covered. But guess what, ladies and gentlemen? Rachaad White out the backfield was wide open in the flat for a walk-in score!”
White only needed to cover a few yards for a score. Washington could have had the win there itself.
“This is why, quarterbacks, you can never bypass the first read. You still have to read it out honestly, especially when the play calls for you to create the space for everyone else to work. Jayden Daniels could have done better on this play to make it work and make his offensive coordinator look like a genius.”
Daniels saw it differently after the game. He stood behind the call and his decision on the play.
“The 2-point play we just didn’t execute. It was the right call. Anything Blough calls, I’m with him. Regardless of who everyone else might view it, I’m with Blough 100%,” Daniels said.
Head coach Dan Quinn was on the same page and said Blough showed him the play before the snap and asked if he wanted to go with it.
“On that particular one, he said, ‘What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Let’s go for it.’ I knew the play. I thought it was a good one. When it doesn’t execute, it sucks,” Quinn said.
There was a reason the Commanders felt comfortable using it, too. They had run the shovel concept successfully in practice that week, giving the coaching staff confidence that it could work when they needed two yards to keep the game alive. But Philadelphia disrupted the play once it mattered, leaving Washington with no answer after the defense got into the backfield and the intended action never had time to develop.
A lot went down in this matchup. Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts finished with 203 yards and three touchdowns in new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s first game calling plays for Philadelphia. Daniels, however, went 18 of 24 for 164 yards and threw two touchdowns, including one to newly signed receiver Stefon Diggs.
Diggs, the hometown hero, beat cornerback Cooper DeJean from the slot for his touchdown. But he cost the Commanders when he climbed onto the goalpost to celebrate, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. What would’ve been a two-point conversion attempt for Washington to tie the score, it sent them 15 yards back in the field goal range to attempt for only one PAT.
But for Washington, the final play is still the part that will sting. Griffin didn’t think the play was doomed from the beginning. He didn’t like the call, but saw opportunities within it that Washington missed. Both the decision and the execution are open to scrutiny.