Diggs’ Goal-Post Celebration Penalty Cost Commanders a Two-Point Try in Loss to Eagles

The Washington Commanders’ 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday came down to a penalty that never needed to happen. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was flagged for using the goal post as a prop after scoring a touchdown, a penalty that eliminated Washington’s chance to attempt a game-tying two-point conversion in the moment it mattered most.

Diggs, 32, beat Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean on a 10-yard touchdown route with about 10 minutes left in the game, cutting Philadelphia’s lead to 17-15. It was his first score with his new team. But instead of a routine celebration, Diggs jumped on the goal post, drawing an automatic 15-yard penalty for using it as a prop, a violation of a rule that has been on the books since 2006.

That penalty pushed Washington back far enough that head coach Dan Quinn, who had planned to go for two to tie the game, was forced to settle for kicking the extra point instead, making it 17-16.

“Yeah, we were going to go for two,” Quinn said after the game.

Washington later needed a two-point conversion to tie the score and failed to convert it. Had the Commanders been able to attempt and make the two-point try immediately after the Diggs touchdown, that later conversion would not have been necessary. Instead, Washington lost by two points, 24-22.

Diggs, explaining the celebration to reporters at his locker afterward, said he simply forgot the rule.

“As soon as I wrapped my arms around it I was like this: ‘Oh I forgot,'” Diggs said. “Back in the day, you know, I’ve been playing a long time, you used to could do that. So, update on the rules and sometimes when you’ve been in the game a long time, uh, I got to be better.”

Diggs entered the league in 2015, nearly a decade after the goal-post rule took effect, meaning there was never a point in his career when the celebration would have been legal.

Quarterback Jayden Daniels said the team needs to be sharper in high-leverage moments.

“You’ve just got to be smarter,” Daniels said. “We got to know situations and situational football … There is a time and place for everything and celebrations. I’m pretty sure at that point we could have gone for two.”

Daniels also said he took some responsibility for not reminding teammates in the huddle to avoid unnecessary penalties after a score.

Quinn confirmed he addressed the celebration with Diggs directly after the game.

“I did have a conversation with him about that,” Quinn said. “He knows better in that space and he knows that. So we did talk about that in that spot. I love his fight. I love what he stands for, but as the competitor, he knows better in that spot.”

The Commanders fell to Philadelphia to open the regular season, with the penalty standing out as a costly, avoidable mistake in a two-point defeat.