EAGLES NOT ON SAME PAGE AGAIN - LOSE TO COMMANDERS 27-10

Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee was sacked five times during loss to Commanders. Photo by Jesse Garber.

LANDOVER: Just when you think things can get any worse, they get worse.

How bad was it for the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday night at Northwest Stadium against the Washington Commanders?

Eagles' kicker Jake Elliott, who was having a rebound season this year, missed a 41-yard field in the fourth quarter would have made the score 16-13 with plenty of time for a defensive stop and another drive to tie or win the game.

But no such luck.

Elliot's kick struck the left upright with 8:58 left in the final quarter. His miss seemed take the air out of the entire Eagles sideline.

Washington went on to score 11 more points on a Drew Stevens 42-yard field goal and a Rachaad White one-yard run with 1:52 left. The two-point conversion made the final score 27-10.

Complimentary football and execution have been the Eagles (2-6) talking point all season.

But with so many players out on the offensive side of the football, attaining either of those goals is virtually impossible until head coach Nick Sirianni get some of his star players back from injury.

The sixth-year coach is missing his entire running back room. For two consecutive weeks Saquon Barkley has valiantly attempted to play with a not-healed-yet hamstring; but is only good for a few plays in a game right now.

WR1 and WR2 DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks are both out with injuries.

His Hall of Fame right tackle Lane Johnson retired suddenly a few weeks ago over mental health issues.

His left guard Landon Dickerson has been struggling with injuries all season.

And his Super Bowl MVP, All Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts is out the season with of all things...blood clot issues.

Special teams has made at least one major mistake in every game since the infamous last eight seconds of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Eagles rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon caught six passes for 57 yards. Photo by Jesse Garber.

In that game, the Birds, took a one-point lead with eight seconds left in the game on a Jake Elliott 48-yard field goal to temporarily give Philadelphia the lead.

Jacksonville's Ameer Abdullah fielded the kickoff and returned it 53 yards into Eagles territory where cornerback Jonathan Jones tackled him at their own 39-yard line with just one second remaining.

Jags kicker Cam Little drilled a 57-yard field goal to win the game.

Special teams have not recovered from that day.

How can any coach at any level, get his team to play complimentary football with all those people out?

“It's hard,” Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jalen Carter said at his locker after the game, “The motto is 'next man up.' You hear that at every level.

"Right now, we've got our guys up. I'm rooting for those guys all the way up from rookies, all the way to vets (veterans). We're still keeping it positive with those guys, letting them know we're with them.

“As a defense, we're going out and playing for them. We know they're playing for us.”

The Eagles rushed 29 times as a team for 91 yards. Elijah Mitchell, brought up from the practice squad for the game, led the Birds with 34 yards on 11 carries. Barkley carried the ball 13 times for 30 yards.

Tanner McKee was 23 of 34 for 212 yards and an interception. He was sacked five times that lost 35 yards. McKee also turned the ball over on a fumble.

Jayden Daniels was 16 of 29 for 217 yards, two TD passes, no interceptions. He was sacked twice.

On Monday Sirianni was asked to comment on the unblocked pressure rate, that is among the worst in the NFL.

Is it coaching? Personnel? He was asked about the number of missed assignments on the offensive line that let to needless sacks and tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

"We've got to be able to get the play in and get to the line of scrimmage so we can go through our process as fast as we possibly can, so everybody then, if you do have a check, is able to make their calls in an appropriate time before you're up against the play clock,” Sirianni said. “You go in a lot. Sometimes there's call-it-and-haul-it plays and sometimes there's checks on plays.

“That particular one had a check on it and they ended up getting us there. I think at the end of the day, we weren't all on the same page with the check and there's many reasons for that of when we got up to the line of scrimmage, when the check was made. So again, many things and then just the communication within it.

“I think it's going to look like, on that one, that it's all on Landon (Dickerson) and that's not the case. I thought Landon played really solid yesterday, and it's not the case.

“Obviously, you saw that we were messed up there and different things accounted for that and we weren't all on the same page.

"Really, back at the end of the day, you're not going to pitch a perfect game and being on the same page -- a hundred percent on mental errors. It's just an imperfect game. As much as you try for that, that's your goal. But when you're not, those are the things that can happen.

“Defensively, you can give up an explosive play. Offensively, you can give up a negative play that can be disastrous.

"Obviously, that stalled the drive out, and we all have to be better as coaches, from the communication of who's in the game, to us getting the play in, to us calling the play in the huddle, to us getting to the line of scrimmage, to us making a check in the right amount of time, to all the guys being able to make a call, and then going out and executing.

“So again, it isn't just one thing. Hopefully I gave you a little bit there that helps you answer your question, but it isn't ever just one thing. It is the series of things that lead to it and we all have to be better in that moment.

“I know you guys think that it's cliche, but it's truly the greatest team sport there is. And maybe I'm the only one that thinks that, but I do believe this is the greatest team sport there is, in good times and in bad times as well, or on positive plays and on negative plays.

“Everybody has a hand in it and that's why it's so important that a connection is made with players, players to players, coach to player, because those are so important and you need your teammates to be successful.” *

Email Al Thompson at al.thompson@footballstories.com