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Watch: Commanders' special teams meltdown costs them game
Washington Commanders kicker Austin Seibert. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Watch: Commanders' special teams meltdown costs them game against Cowboys

By Adam Gretz  |  Last updated Nov 24, 2024 4:33 PM ET

The Washington Commanders lost a stunning 34-26 game to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, and there were a lot of culprits for it.

None were more to blame than the team's special teams unit, and the fourth quarter was a clown car full of mishaps that spilled out all over the field.

It resulted in allowing a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, a missed game-tying extra point and another kickoff returned for a touchdown on an onside kick.

That does not even get into the fact that Washington kicker Austin Seibert also missed a field goal and another extra point earlier in the game. 

But for now, let's just focus on the fourth-quarter mishaps because that was where the game went wild.

After Washington scored a touchdown with three minutes to play in the fourth quarter to make it a three-point game, the Commanders allowed KaVontae Turpin to return the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a stunning touchdown.

Despite allowing that return, the Commanders were able to kick a field goal to make it a seven-point game and get the ball back with less than a minute to play. 

That was when Jayden Daniels connected with Terry McLaurin for an improbable 86-yard touchdown that brought them to within an extra point of tying the game.

The only problem? Seibert missed his second extra point of the game.

That put Washington into a position where it needed an onside kick to position itself to win the game. It resulted in another return touchdown for Dallas.

It is truly difficult to put into words how bad of a day that is for Washington's special teams. The result is a third consecutive loss that drops the team to 7-5 and might put the NFC East out of reach behind the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on Twitter @AGretz

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