Instant analysis | Commanders struggle to finish in 26-18 loss to ...

It was fourth down at Lincoln Financial Field, with the Washington Commanders down 12-10 on the road, and coach Dan Quinn decided to keep the offense on the field rather than kicking the field goal to take a one-point lead.

It was a high-risk, high-reward gamble on the road that has often gone in the Commanders' favor. This time, however, a bobbled snap and a shot on Jayden Daniels from Reed Blankenship for no gain ensured that fortunes swung in the opposite direction. And from there, the night slipped away from the Commanders.

A clear theme is starting to emerge for the Commanders; it showed up last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, when Mike Williams got behind Benjamin St-Juste for a go-ahead touchdown that led to a 28-27 defeat, and it appeared again in the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles, who used the fourth-down stop as a springboard for a 26-18 win over Washington that tightened their hold on first place in the NFC East.

The theme: every moment is magnified against the top-tier teams, and failing to execute will result in losses.

Thursday night ended a week of disappointment for the Commanders. A season that started 7-2 with an offense that was operating on a historic pace has now hit a legitimate speed bump losing back-to-back games and now clearly sitting in second place in the division. Even more frustrating is that despite the team not playing its best football, there was still a chance things could have unfolded in a different way.

And yet the team's clear issues with consistency, particularly on offense, are the reasons why the smaller moments have carried significant weight. Jayden Daniels was held to less than 200 passing yards and just 18 on the ground. He was sacked three times and put under pressure for most of the night. That led to uncharacteristic misses from the rookie, as only two of his completions went to wide receivers.

But it wasn't just Daniels who was out of sync. The entire offense was noticeably off, and it showed in how quickly the team had to punt the ball away. Seven of the Commanders' 11 drives ended in five plays or less. They were held to 4.2 yards per play and 3-of-12 on third downs, both of which accounted for them being limited to 262 yards on the night.

The offense's inability to sustain drives also undermined what was largely an inspired performance from the Commanders' defense. The unit held the Eagles without a point until the closing seconds of the first half. Jalen Hurts had just 101 passing yards, while Saquon Barkley was limited to 56 yards on 15 carries.

However, in a similar fashion to the Steelers game, things began to fall apart in the fourth quarter. The Eagles scored three times in the fourth quarter, which helped them take and extend their lead -- two of which happened after Washington's failed fourth-down conversion attempt.

There were spurts of productivity to start the night. Following a third-down sack from Frankie Luvu on the Eagles' second drive, the Commanders breezed down the field in four plays, starting with a 34-yard reception by Austin Ekeler and a one-yard touchdown run by Brian Robinson Jr., who now has seven scores on the season.

That was one of the few times Washington looked like its usual self, though, as they punted on their next three possessions and amassed a combined 27 total yards. Hurts and the Eagles weren't faring much better, despite getting into field goal range three times. Jake Elliott missed his first two attempts of 44 and 51 yards before hitting a 21-yarder to make the score 7-3 at halftime.

The score could have easily been tied were it not for Washington's defense coming up with a stand inside their own 5-yard line. Noah Igbinoghene and Quan Martin combined to bring Barkley down for a one-yard gain one second-and-goal, and Martin forced Hurts to throw the ball away to avoid a sack on third down.

Washington's offense opened the second half with another spark, getting down to the Eagles' 20-yard line with an eight-yard run from Robinson. They were met by a wall once again, made by a mix of their own mistakes and a seven-tackle performance by defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Daniels was tackled for a loss on second-and-2 and missed on a pass to Terry McLaurin on third down, which led to them settling for a 45-yard field goal.

Meanwhile, the Eagles were starting to find their rhythm on offense. They responded to the Commanders' field goal with one of their own, this time a 31-yarder from Elliott. Then, after the Commanders moved just seven yards downfield on five plays, they found the end zone for the first time after Hurts barreled into the end zone on a quarterback sneak, giving them a 12-10 lead.

That led to the decision from Quinn to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Eagles' 26-yard line. Daniels bobbled the snap and turned right, looking for open space to run free. He might have found it, too, had it not been for Blankenship cutting underneath Noah Brown to knock him out of bounds for no gain.

It was the moment of the game, and the defense, which had bent but held firm for most of the night, finally broke. The Eagles scored two on seven offensive plays, separated by an interception from Daniels. Barkley broke loose on a 23-yard score to put the Eagles up 19-10 and then again on a 39-yard romp to make the score 26-10.

By the time Washington was able to muster a response -- a 15-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a touchdown and two-point conversion from Zach Ertz -- the game had been all but decided in Philadelphia's favor.