Still in full uniform long after the game was over, Reggie Brown sat silently with his hands on his lap, staring down into his locker.

Finally, after a shower, the Philadelphia Eagles receiver returned to reflect on the play that fell 1 yard short at the end of a 10-3 loss to the Washington Redskins—a play that kept his team from having a chance to control its playoff destiny.

“I just wanted to get my hands on the ball,” Brown said. “And they were there to jump on me.”

The “they” were cornerback Fred Smoot and safety LaRon Landry, part of a Redskins defense that held the Eagles without a touchdown for the first time this season. As Brown leaped to catch the ball near the goal line, Smoot came underneath to keep him airborne, and Landry supplied the shove that kept the Eagles receiver out of the end zone.

The ball was spotted at the 1. The pass went in the books as a 17-yard completion. With no timeouts remaining, Philadelphia couldn’t stop the clock, and the last seconds ticked away. The play was upheld by replay review, bringing an end to the Eagles’ three-game winning streak and giving the Redskins (8-7) a consolation prize on the day they were mathematically eliminated from the postseason...Recap