Commanders' tough loss to Steelers stings even more after latest playoff update
The Washington Commanders (7-3) lost a really tough game to the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) on Sunday. Despite fighting all the way to the end, Jayden Daniels and co. couldn't do enough to win the game and the end result was a 28-27 loss. "There were moments and there were opportunities [to win the game]," Commanders head […]
The Washington Commanders (7-3) lost a really tough game to the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-2) on Sunday. Despite fighting all the way to the end, Jayden Daniels and co. couldn't do enough to win the game and the end result was a 28-27 loss.
"There were moments and there were opportunities [to win the game]," Commanders head coach Dan Quinn told reporters after the game. "And so this one stings badly."
"It stings and you can see the guys are very passionate about wins and losses," Daniels said after the game. "It means something to them. [It] matters."
Well, there's a bit of a ripple effect that comes with the loss that goes beyond what happened on the football field. Not only did the Commanders lose, but the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys, 34-6, in Week 10. Now, Philadelphia sits atop the NFC East at 7-2, while Washington falls to second. Per The Athletic's playoff predictor, the Commanders had a 45% chance of winning the division, now it's at 32%.
The Commanders held the NFC's No. 2 seed before the game and are currently holding onto the sixth seed, as well.
Per NFL.com, the Commanders had an 86% chance of making the playoffs coming into the game. Their chances are still very good, but they dropped to 79% after the loss. Said chances would've jumped to 92% if they beat the Steelers.
Commanders get an immediate chance to climb back atop the NFC East
Obviously, Washington gets a chance to right the ship during the upcoming Thursday Night Football matchup against the Eagles, themselves. A Commanders win would push them to 8-3 and drop the Eagles to 7-3.
The Commanders' .727 winning percentage would surpass the Eagles' .700 winning percentage, plus, the Commanders would receive the first of what could be two head-to-head tiebreakers. That would give Washington the leg up in any tie-breaking scenario that goes beyond winning percentage, which is first and foremost across the board.
We'll see if they can turn around and make it happen in Philly.
