Stefon Diggs turned a Commanders touchdown into a costly NFL penalty by climbing the goalpost and pushing Washington out of two-point territory, leading to a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
Stefon Diggs reacts before an NFL game
Stefon Diggs forced the Washington Commanders out of 2-point conversion territory after a goal-post-hugging penalty
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Washington Commanders wide receiver Stefon Diggs dragged his team into contention late against the Philadelphia Eagles, only to ruin his squad's immediate chances at a comeback with a costly and unnecessary penalty.
Diggs caught a 10-yard touchdown from Jayden Daniels with 9:59 left in the game to cut Philadelphia's lead to 17-15 and set up a crucial extra point.
The Commanders wide receiver skipped the usual teammate celebration and signature dance moves and instead scaled the blue NFL goalpost padding and wrapped himself around it while league officials watched every move.
Meanwhile, Jets kicker Jason Sanders kicked what NFL fans considered the "worst kick in history."
The useless stunt drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty under the NFL's celebration rules, which prohibit using the goalpost as a prop.
Washington was pushed back for the try and abandoned the realistic chance to go for two, settling for Drew Stevens' extra point to make it 17-16. Fans online called the celebration "sick," but the timing turned it into a gut punch.
The Eagles punished the Commanders after Jalen Hurts answered with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert on Philadelphia's next possession. Philly's TD restored an eight-point cushion at 24-16 with a little over six minutes of game clock remaining.
Stefon Diggs celebrates his first Commanders touchdown
Diggs is expected to be fined for hugging the goal post
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Washington pushed once more after Daniels found Antonio Williams for a one-yard touchdown with one minute left to cut the deficit to 24-22 before a two-point conversion attempt failed and left the Commanders needing an onside recovery.
If Washington had been able to go for two after his touchdown, the entire endgame could have flipped. Instead, Diggs ended his day with four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown on nine targets, and a loss in his Commanders debut.
Daniels addressed the incident postgame and said, "You just gotta be smarter. We gotta know situations, situational football. That’s on me for not reiterating that in the huddle. We just gotta be smart. There’s a time and place for everything."
Stefon Diggs scores a third-quarter touchdown at Lincoln Financial Field
Diggs was previously fined over $12k for a similar infraction
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The incident was not Diggs' first celebration to cost his team, nor was it his first instance of being docked for interacting with the goalpost.
The most recent stint took place at Lincoln Financial Field, but he ironically hugged a goalpost against the Commanders in 2017. Diggs was a member of the Minnesota Vikings when he committed his first goalpost infraction and incurred a $12,154 penalty.
Those incidents resulted in more than $282,000 in fines across nine separate offenses. Diggs is in his 12th NFL season after a Super Bowl run with the New England Patriots last season.