As the Eagles plunged to their fifth straight loss, questions emerged regarding effort, or lack thereof.
Or, more fundamentally, whether the defensive line was even bothering to get into their stances.
To no surprise, then, effort was a theme of the week, specifically when reporters had a midweek chance to pose questions to coach Nick Sirianni.
Asked whether there was an issue with effort on Monday night against the Cowboys, and how the coaching staff gauges whether effort is an issue, Sirianni said this: “We grade every play based off of what they did, we grade every play based off of their assignment alignment and we grade every play off of effort. That’s not only in games, but that’s also at every practice, because if we were just grading it in games and not emphasizing it on every play in every practice, then we wouldn’t be doing our job.
“I did not see an effort issue on Monday night. Obviously, it was other things, which I’m sure you guys will ask me about. There were other things, but effort in no way, shape [or] form was an issue there.
“The plays -- now, do you bat 100% on effort? No, you don’t play a perfect football game. The plays, anytime there is an effort stand out in a positive way, we show it to the team and show what the standard is. Anytime there’s one that we feel like there was a loaf, we point that out and show that to the team. But I didn’t think that we had -- I didn’t look at the tape and say, ‘Hey, this was an effort issue, and this is why this play happened or that play happened.’ That’s how I graded the film.”
He later was asked whether players get grades on a weekly basis regarding topics like assignment, alignment, and effort.
“That would be crazy not to tell them what they’ve done and what they haven’t done,” Sirianni said. “We go over that with them. We watch the game with them, and everything is discussed with these guys. I guess I’m a little confused by the question. If we want them to get better, we’ve got to go over all the mistakes and everything with it.”
The reporters eventually attempted to address the confusion by explaining to Sirianni the perception that effort was an issue. So what does Sirianni think about the questions in that regard?
“I think in that situation, everyone’s going to look to find answers in a five-game losing streak,” Sirianni said. “Just because the result -- If we win that game, do they still question the effort? I don’t know. I can’t -- I’m not them. My job is to look at the daily process of it and the daily work and what objectively happened in that game and not react based off of the outcome. I get it. I would understand [that] everyone’s looking for answers. I don’t give you a lot of answers up here. I get that. I understand that. I do respect the job that you guys have to do, but I’m always going to probably keep it tight to the vest.
“But again, it’s not about the outcome. . . . We’re outcome-aware -- but it is about the process that goes [into] it, what happens Monday through Saturday. What happens Monday through Saturday is usually what happens in the game in my experience. That’s why you need great week of preparation, but I’m not letting the outcome dictate how I grade the film. I’m grading the film objectively based off of what I see on a weekly basis.”
What everyone sees is a team in a tailspin, with the most recent Super Bowl win fading deep into the rear-view mirror. They get their next chance to turn things around on Sunday night, when they face the 1-4-1 Commanders.
Why are teams trading key players well in advance of the November 10 deadline? Doing the deal now avoids the possibility of an injury that could kill the player’s trade value.
Case in point — the Commanders, we’re told, were talking to one or more teams about the terms of a potential trade for veteran defensive tackle Daron Payne. After he suffered a season-ending foot injury during practice on Friday, there will be no trade.
A first-round pick of the Commanders in 2018, Payne is in the last year of his current contract. The Commanders, due to the injury, have lost the opportunity to get value for his remaining deal, and to avoid paying the balance of his 2026 base salary of $16.4 million.
The lesson to every team is clear. The trade deadline isn’t the only deadline that matters. Every game, and every practice, in which a potentially tradable player participates is a practical deadline, since one injury can render a possible trade dead in the water.
Daron Payne’s foot injury will keep him out for the rest of the season.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Payne’s significant injury is a Jones fracture, which will sideline him through the remainder of 2026.
Payne had been added to the injury report on Friday after suffering the injury in practice.
The No. 13 overall pick in 2018, Payne is Washington’s longest-tenured player. He did not miss a game from 2020-2024 and missed just two contests in 2025.
In his nine seasons, he’s recorded 38.0 sacks, 67 tackles for loss, and 86 quarterback hits.
His 2026 will end having tallied 14 total tackles, two tackles for loss, five QB hits, and one sack.
Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne was expected to have serious trade interest before the Nov. 10 trade deadline. Alas, Payne, who is in the final year of his contract, is heading to injured reserve instead.
The Commanders added Payne to the injury report Friday, listing him as questionable with a foot injury.
Payne, 29, was diagnosed with a significant injury after injuring his foot in Friday’s practice, NFL Media reports. He will undergo an MRI on Sunday to confirm what X-rays showed.
Payne has possibly played his final game this season, per NFL Media.
Washington drafted Payne with the 13th overall pick in 2018, making him the team’s longest-tenured player. He started every possible game from 2020-24 and missed only two games last season.
He totaled 14 tackles, five quarterback hits and one sack in six games.
Payne has 38 sacks in his career.
The Commanders had already ruled out defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee). He missed practice all week.
Now they could be without another defensive tackle.
The Commanders added Daron Payne to the practice report on Friday with a foot injury that has him questionable to play. Payne was limited in Friday’s practice.
Tight end John Bates (shoulder), wide receiver Treylon Burks (foot) and defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton (pectoral) are also questionable. All three were limited in Friday’s practice.
The Commanders added wide receiver Luke McCaffrey (hip) to the injury report as a limited participant Friday, but he has no injury designation.
Quarterbacks Jayden Daniels (left elbow) and Marcus Mariota (knee) and wide receiver Stefon Diggs (hand/hamstring) are good to go as well.
