Allowing a 99-yard kickoff return by KaVontae Turpin for a touchdown after pulling to within four points summed up the mistake-ridden day suffered by the Washington Commanders against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, a day that prompted an emotional response from All-Pro special teams ace Jeremy Reaves.
The Commanders safety took the blame for Turpin’s unlikely and spectacular runback that helped the Cowboys win 34-26 at Northwest Stadium. Speaking to reporters, including The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala, after the game on Sunday, November 24, Reaves showed how personally he was taking the defeat.
He admitted, “I made that play a thousand times, man. Thousand times, hundreds of times. It’s repetition. I didn’t make it today and it cost us.”
Reaves finished by saying “that’s on me, man,” before he was unable to continue with the interview.
The raw honesty from Reaves was tough to watch, but highly commendable as a means of taking accountability after a bitter defeat. His sense of frustration was palpable after the Commanders lost a third game in a row, this one against a division rival they should have beat with room to spare.
Special teams gaffes are the reason the Commanders let one slip to their familiar foes from the NFC East. Those mistakes are the reason why Reaves won’t carry the burden of disappointment alone.
Jeremy Reaves Part of Special Teams Errors vs. Cowboys
Missed tackles, poor angles and over-pursuit helped Turpin catch the Commanders cold with just over three minutes left in the game and the Cowboys leading 20-16.
Reaves and Co. couldn’t lay a glove on Turpin, but they weren’t the only members of football’s third phase who let the Commanders down. So did placekicker Austin Seibert, who faces intense criticism after missing two extra points.
Seibert’s most costly error occurred when he shanked a PAT after Terry McLaurin’s miracle touchdown catch gave the Commanders a chance to tie. Like Reaves, Seibert struggled to contain his emotions when asked to recount how things had gone wrong.
Seibert, who had been a hero after a seven-field goal debut earlier in the season, also followed Reaves’ lead by taking full responsibility for the miss, despite a bad snap. He told reporters the snap “didn’t make a difference at all. It’s on me,” per 7News DC’s Scott Abraham.
A nightmare day for Washington’s special teams was capped by a botched onside kick. It was returned for another Cowboys touchdown by safety Juanyeh Thomas.
The Commanders are left counting the cost of these mistakes as they try to salvage a season fast getting away from them.
3 Defeats Should Prompt Reset for Commanders
A three-game losing skid has put the Commanders at a crossroads. Football’s third phase was culpable against the Cowboys, but a once-explosive offense led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is also faltering.
Daniels threw a pair of interceptions and took four sacks against a fired-up Dallas defense. By contrast, the Commanders D’ gave up 4.5 yards per carry to running back Rico Dowdle.
Problems are mounting in all three phases. It means head coach Dan Quinn and his staff have plenty to do before, during and after the team’s bye week in Week 14.
That work should begin with fixing the special teams.
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