NFC championship: Commanders surprise Eagles with fake punt, match NFL record with fourth 4th down conversion
It paid off.
The Philadelphia Eagles scored touchdowns on each of their opening drives to take an early 14-3 lead. Then Washington's third drive stalled, and the Commanders sent out their punt unit on fourth-and-6 at their own 31. But Tress Way did not punt.
Instead, the Washington punter lofted a perfect pass down the middle to tight end Ben Sinnott, who ran through the secondary uncovered and corralled the ball near midfield for a 23-yard gain and a first down.
FAKED IT📺 #WASvsPHI FOX pic.twitter.com/2GKsoPlwEK
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 26, 2025
The conversion kept alive a drive that ended with a field goal to cut Philadelphia's lead to 14-6 early in the second quarter. Instead of giving the ball back to Philadelphia down 11 points, Washington cut its deficit to one possession.
The conversion continued an aggressive trend for the Commanders, who went for and converted two fourth downs on their opening drive that also ended with a field goal. They kept it up in the second half and converted on fourth down for a fourth time, which matched an NFL record. The Commanders are now just the fourth team in NFL history to convert four times on fourth down in a playoff game. The Buffalo Bills last pulled that feat off in an overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022.
While the Eagles flew ahead to a commanding lead on Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field, the Commanders didn't change their stripes with a trip to the Super Bowl on the the line. They got this far by playing aggressive and trusting their players to make plays, and Sunday wasn't about to be any different.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tom Brady Puts Super Bowl Rings on Display at ‘Hall of Excellence' in Vegas, Ahead of New NFL Season
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman and Snoop Dogg are among the celebrity narrators lending their voices to the Hall of Excellence, a new sports memorabilia museum that's popped up at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. More from Variety Apple Watch Series 10: How to Get the Smartwatch With New Blood Oxygen Tracking Feature Online The Best Ergonomic Desk Chairs for Back-To-School and Dorm Life UFC 319 Livestream: How to Watch Du Plessis vs. Chimaev MMA Fight Live Online SEE ROOMS & RATES AT FONTAINEBLEAU VEGAS Created in partnership with Super Bowl champion Tom Brady along with legendary sportscaster Jim Gray and his wife Frann Vettor-Gray, the Hall of Excellence features two large rooms of uniforms, sneakers, accessories and other sporting gear worn by some of the biggest athletes of all time. Ticket stubs, programs, game-day balls and rare artwork also line the display cases, which all lead towards a grandiose Trophy Room, where the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Heisman Trophy, MLB Commissioners Trophy and NBA Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy are among the laurels on view. In fact, almost all the major sporting event trophies are available to view at the Hall, including college trophies and Olympic gold medals. Seven-time Super Bowl champ Brady has his own section, that features all seven of his Super Bowl rings, along with a brief description of each game-winning moment. Visitors can also listen to Brady narrate the story behind each ring as part of the exhibit's audio tour. The Hall's main self-guided tour is narrated by Academy Award winner Freeman, while Winfrey, Snoop Dogg, Marv Albert and others, each narrate a different exhibit. It isn't just sports either: Winfrey's Presidential Medal of Freedom and 2016 Tony Award for 'The Color Purple' revival are also on display, as is Clint Eastwood's 1993 Oscar for 'Unforgiven.' Other highlights include the bat used by Jackie Robinson to break baseball's color barrier in 1947; Michael Jordan's first pair of Air Jordans; Muhammad Ali's robe and gloves from his fight versus George Chuvalo in 1966; a golf ball used by Tiger Woods during his first Masters victory; and the Washington Capitals jersey worn by Alexander Ovechkin the night he tied Wayne Gretzky's NHL scoring record earlier this year. There is also a collection of golf balls and baseballs signed by President Trump, Joe Biden, Barack Obama and a number of other U.S. Presidents dating back to Woodrow Wilson. Worth noting: women's sports and female athletes are also well-represented among the more than 300 items on display. Pieces include dresses worn by Serena Williams and Billie Jean King, a leotard worn by Simone Biles and the Las Vegas Aces WNBA Championship rings from 2022 and 2023. Brady helped to put many of these items together, drawing from his and Gray's personal collections and tapping into his network of friends and former teammates. 'The Hall of Excellence is about more than preserving history – it is about celebrating the relentless pursuit of greatness,' the NFL star says in a release. 'So much of this memorabilia represents the incredible journey that I, like so many others, have been fortunate enough to experience. Artifacts like these do not belong hidden away, they should be shared with the fans who were along for the journey with us.' Fontainebleau Las Vegas, meantime, says the items represent a 'carefully curated collection of exclusive and extraordinary artifacts,' with Chairman and CEO of Fontainebleau Development, Jeffrey Soffer, calling it a 'first-hand look at history through the eyes of the world's most beloved athletes and entertainers.' The Hall of Excellence is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission costs $35 per person and tickets are available here. Brady, meantime, is back for another season as part of the 'NFL on FOX' broadcast team. The NFL star joined the FOX broadcast booth as a lead game analyst last year.
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Phillies benefit a 3rd time on catcher's interference call, this one against Mariners
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — For the third time in less than a month, the Philadelphia Phillies were on the positive end of a catcher's interference call. In the first inning of their game Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, J.T. Realmuto was called out on strikes on a pitch by Bryce Miller that would have ended the inning. However, Realmuto argued that his swing was interfered with by Seattle catcher Mitch Garver — who was starting behind the plate while usual catcher and MLB homer leader Cal Raleigh was in the lineup as a designated hitter. The Phillies challenged the call, and after a video review, it was determined that Garver's glove did interfere with Realmuto's bat on the swing, and Realmuto was awarded first base. Last month, when Boston was in Philadelphia, catcher Carlos Narvaez was called for inference in consecutive games, in both instances allowing a run to score, one of them to end a game in extra innings. It was the first walk-off catcher's interference since 1971. This time, there was no damage as Miller induced a fielder's choice ground out by Alec Bohm on the first pitch after the review, ending the inning with Seattle trailing 1-0 thanks to Kyle Schwarber's NL-leading 44th homer. Major League baseball set a record in 2024 for catcher's interference calls with 100, which broke the mark set a season earlier when there were 96 infractions. ___ AP MLB:
CBS News
41 minutes ago
- CBS News
Philadelphia Phillies benefit a 3rd time on catcher's interference call, this one against Mariners
For the third time in less than a month, the Philadelphia Phillies were on the positive end of a catcher's interference call. In the first inning of their game Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners, J.T. Realmuto was called out on strikes on a pitch by Bryce Miller that would have ended the inning. However, Realmuto argued that his swing was interfered with by Seattle catcher Mitch Garver — who was starting behind the plate while usual catcher and MLB homer leader Cal Raleigh was in the lineup as a designated hitter. The Phillies challenged the call, and after a video review, it was determined that Garver's glove did interfere with Realmuto's bat on the swing, and Realmuto was awarded first base. Last month, when Boston was in Philadelphia, catcher Carlos Narvaez was called for inference in consecutive games, in both instances allowing a run to score, one of them to end a game in extra innings. It was the first walk-off catcher's interference since 1971. This time, there was no damage as Miller induced a fielder's choice ground out by Alec Bohm on the first pitch after the review, ending the inning with Seattle trailing 1-0 thanks to Kyle Schwarber's NL-leading 44th homer. Major League baseball set a record in 2024 for catcher's interference calls with 100, which broke the mark set a season earlier when there were 96 infractions.
