Stefon Diggs gives candid answer after costly unsportmanlike penalty leads to Commanders loss

With one minute remaining in Sunday's season-opener, the Commanders' potential game-tying two-point attempt against the Eagles came up short. Around nine minutes prior, however, they could have already had it knotted up if it weren't for Stefon Diggs' extracurriculars.

The veteran wide receiver, who signed with Washington late in the offseason after making a Super Bowl with the Patriots, snagged a touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels in the fourth quarter of Week 1. Immediately after, he was flagged for an excessive celebration.

With Diggs' penalty forcing the Commanders to settle for one point instead of two, he ultimately apologized after his decision came back to haunt his team.

Here's a look at Diggs' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and what he had to say about it.

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Stefon Diggs apologizes for unsportmanlike penalty

The Commanders trailed for almost the entire game in Philadelphia on Sunday, but in the fourth quarter, Daniels had Washington crawling back in it as his defense got some stops.

On a 3rd & 6 in the red zone, Daniels found his new weapon, Diggs, in the middle of the field after the wide receiver got a step on Cooper DeJean.

Diggs took his easy path to the end zone — but as he ran in, he leapt and hugged the goal post right in front of an official, leading to the flag.

Because Diggs' 15-yard penalty moved the extra-point attempt back so far, the Commanders had little choice but to attempt the kick, rather than go for two and the tie at 17 points. 

Later on, the Commanders' two-point attempt to tie the game at 24 came up short, putting more focus on Diggs' costly flag. Postgame, head coach Dan Quinn said that if it weren't for Diggs' penalty, the team would have gone for two early in the fourth quarter, per The Athletic.

"Finally, we hit one, and I get a little excited,” Diggs said postgame, per The Athletic. “Of course, I take full accountability. ... And I want to win bad, you know — every little rep, everything. So finally when we clicked after not clicking for a little while, it got to me a little.”

Daniels also called out his teammate's unnecessary penalty.

“Just got to be smarter, you know,” Daniels said. “You got to know the situation, situational football. … There’s a time and place for everything in celebrations.”

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Why Stefon Diggs TD celebration was a penalty

The NFL has long kept goalpost hugs and other physical interacts with the posts among its unwelcomed celebrations. The league banned those celebrations before the 2014 season, aiming to prevent damage to the goalposts and a delay in the game. The season prior, tight end Jimmy Graham bent the goalpost during a dunk celebration, causing a 20-minute delay; officials would need to straighten the posts before play can continue.

Diggs said he knew the rules, but was in the heat of the moment when he leapt onto the goal post.

“As soon as I wrapped my arms around it, I was like, ‘Oh, I forgot,'” Diggs said. “It’s not back in the day. We’ve been playing for a long time. You used to do that. … That’s just telling me I’ve been in the game a long time. You’re like, ‘I got to be better.'”

Stef Diggs takes full accountability for the penalty. Said it was just a heat of the moment celebration. He forgot the rule had changed from early in his career pic.twitter.com/h62uVv66E8

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