PHILADELPHIA -- Commanders receiver Stefon Diggs knew the moment he hugged the goalpost to celebrate a fourth-quarter touchdown Sunday that he had committed a penalty that cost his team -- in yards and possible points.
The unsportsmanlike flag forced the Commanders back 15 yards with nine minutes, 59 seconds remaining against the Eagles. Coach Dan Quinn said that with the Commanders trailing 17-15, they would have gone for two had Diggs not committed the penalty. Instead, Washington opted to kick, with Drew Stevens making a 48-yard extra point that cut the deficit to 17-16.
A failed 2-point conversion with 1:01 remaining then denied Washington a chance to possibly send the game into overtime as it fell in its season opener 24-22.
"It was like, 'Oh, I forgot,'" Diggs said of the rule that disallows hugging the goalpost. "Back in the day -- I've been playing for a long time -- you used to be able to do that. I've got to be better."
The NFL made hugging the goalpost illegal before the 2014 season -- one year before Diggs entered the league. He was penalized and fined for hugging it in 2017, when he played for Minnesota Vikings.
Diggs said Sunday's celebration was the result of a long day; he finished with four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown but also had two drops, and the Commanders struggled to generate much offense before that point.
Quarterback Jayden Daniels blamed himself, saying they knew the play had a chance to score, so in the huddle he should have reminded everyone they would go for two. In other words: No penalties.
Diggs smiled when he heard Daniels had accepted responsibility, calling it "quarterback s---," and said as an older player he should know better.
"That was out of the frustration throughout the game," Diggs said, "wanting things to go right. We finally hit one and I get a little overzealous, a little excited. I take full accountability. I want to win bad. Finally after we weren't clicking for a little while it got to me.
"Just being smart."
Quinn said he wasn't down on Diggs, whom the team signed early in training camp.
"This is a real competitor," Quinn said. "He knows better than that. I love his fight and what he stands for, but he knows better than that in that spot."
Diggs crossed up cornerback Cooper DeJean on the play, faking outside before turning in out of a bunch formation to the left. Daniels found him for a 10-yard score and Washington's first touchdown of the season.
Then he immediately jumped into the goalpost.
"Just got to be smart," Daniels said. "Situational football. That's on me for not reiterating that in the huddle.
"There's a time and place for everything."
But the Commanders still had a chance to tie the score after Daniels connected with rookie Antonio Williams on a 1-yard pass late. On the 2-point try, Daniels shoveled a pass to tight end John Bates, but Eagles defensive tackle Moro Ojomo spun off center Nick Allegretti's block to stuff the play. Daniels had an option on the play to go elsewhere but said when he saw the defensive end to that side get upfield, they got the look they wanted.
He did not second-guess the playcall of David Blough, who was making his debut as Washington's offensive coordinator.
"I'm with Blough 100%," Daniels said. "We had the look we wanted, we just didn't execute."
