Terry McLaurin was held in check by a surging Eagles defense on Thursday Night Football.
It was a long, frustrating night for the Washington Commanders' offense as the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately dominated in a 26-18 Week 11 win that turned into a blowout in the fourth quarter. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley took over the game, racking up 198 total yards and two touchdowns while a promising Commanders squad was unable to answer.
Normally, Washington would turn to Terry McLaurin to kick-start the offense. But the sixth-year wideout was essentially shut out of the game, recording just one reception on two targets for 10 yards.
McLaurin wasn't even targeted until the third quarter. When asked if the lack of involvement came as a surprise, he said, "It happens. I can only control what I can, and I'm going to keep focusing on that," according to The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala on X.
A major reason for McLaurin's poor showing was the excellent play of Eagles' DB Quinyon Mitchell. "He's a good corner. He doesn't really play like a rookie," McLaurin said of Mitchell via Eagles reporter EJ Smith. The Commanders' top wideout was not targeted on the 20 routes he ran against Mitchell on Thursday night.
Prior to the matchup against Philadelphia, McLaurin had been enjoying an excellent season along with a more positive work environment. After 10 weeks, the Pro Bowl WR was third in the league with 711 receiving yards and was averaging a healthy 6.6 targets per game. He had gone over 100 yards or scored a touchdown in seven of 10 games prior to Week 11. But on Thursday night, McLaurin was locked down.
The Commanders had trouble moving the ball against a much improved Eagles defense. Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels was held in check until a garbage time touchdown and two-point conversion to Zach Ertz with 28 seconds remaining.
The Commanders have taken great strides this season on both sides of the ball and the Eagles knew the Bobby Wagner-led defense would be formidable. Washington held a 10-3 lead early in the third quarter. But the Eagles scored 23 second-half points in what turned out to be an easy victory, despite an off night from kicker Jake Elliot who missed two field goals and an extra point.
Philadelphia has now won six in a row and the team hasn't lost since its Week 5 bye. The Commanders fell to 7-4 with the loss. They'll look to get back in the win column in another divisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12.