Austin Ekeler gives Danny & Lynnell some insight into Commanders' comeback win over Philly
Austin Ekeler continues to feel better as he recovers from a major concussion and its associated upper body issues, and feeling really good mentally after watching his Commanders brothers come back from a big deficit to beat the Eagles on Sunday.
"It's important for really the whole team to keep its composure, and I think it actually tells you a lot about your team if you're able to go through some adversity and you see your team keeping its composure and people not blaming or yelling or getting discouraged down the sideline," Ekeler told Danny & Lynnell Tuesday. "It's not a good feeling, absolutely, and we're human so we're emotional. But we feel like, okay, we have to come back, and you see us staying together, everyone picking each other up, words of encouragement. When you see that on the sideline, it's really encouraging, and means you got a good culture and a good team that you're part of."
These Commanders never quit and never say die, no matter the circumstances.
"We're gonna play to the end no matter what; if we're up by 50 or down by 50, we're always gonna try to do our best and do what we can to come back or stay up, Ekeler said. "As we know in this game, there's ups and downs, and you can look at our season all year; we've had some downs when we came back, had some ups where we stayed up or even lost the lead. This game is intense, fun, and emotional, and all of those things make it so great. You're never out until there's zeroes on the clock, so you keep fighting; we were able to do that, and able to do enough to make sure we came out on top, which is one of those moments that brings everyone together. I know everyone in the stadium was loving the ups and downs, and that we won the game. It's what we love about football, the good and the bad."
But what's it been like for a veteran like Ekeler, who went from undrafted to MVP candidate in his career, to be part of this rollercoaster?
"With the Chargers, we've always had seasons that were like really close on both sides, whether we came out on top or fell short. Definitely been a part of a lot of close games in the NFL, and I think that's what the NFL is about," Ekeler said. "It's been a little different culture over here, but definitely been a part of seasons where there's a lot of on the fence wins, maybe some killer wins and some crushing losses, and that's why so many people are so bought into this sport. Even if your team isn't having the best year, you come in knowing that anything can happen on Sunday, and we have all the hopes that maybe we can pull it out this week. And that's what's so great about the game."
A fun ride all along, made even sweeter by the fact that the Commanders all but punched their playoff ticket while also crushing Philly's hopes of being the top seed in the NFC.
"I think DQ said it best at the beginning of the week when he said 'if you want to be a heavy hitter, you have to beat one,' and we hadn't really done that yet. We hadn't beaten anyone besides the Bears with a winning record at the time," Ekeler said. "So it's like, let's get an opponent that's respected across the league, and that's how we're gonna have to earn respect, is by beating someone who already has it. That's one thing that we're going to continue to climb on, because as you get to the playoffs, that's what it comes down to: you've earned the right to be here, and it's a chance for you to kind of prove yourself, solidify yourself as a team to be respected in the league. I think we've done that throughout the year, but it always helps to continue to put some depth behind it."
Take a listen to Ekeler's entire visit, as he also goes into how the running game is struggling of late, how he's tried to keep Brian Robinson upbeat, and more!
