Steelers legend calls for Marshon Lattimore to be benched as Commanders CB struggles massively vs. Eagles in NFC Championship Game

The Washington Commanders traded for veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore midway through the season to help their struggling secondary. The idea was to have an experienced star singlehandedly take away one of their opponent's main threats in the passing game.

While he had an impact, he was a non-factor in the NFC championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday as Philadelphia rolled 55-23.

Lattimore lined up against A.J. Brown and struggled to contain the wide receiver. On a fourth down play right before the two-minute warning in the second quarter, the Eagles star burned the veteran cornerback on the sideline and kept the drive alive.

While the Eagles' offensive line and running back Saquon Barkley tush-pushed quarterback Jalen Hurts into the endzone, Lattimore, instead of trying to help his team stop the touchdown, got into a scrap with Brown and was penalized for unnecessary roughness.

The Eagles wide receiver had the last laugh as a fumble set up the opportunity for him to get his touchdown in the dying embers of the second quarter.

Philadelphia led 27-15 at halftime.

Lattimore's underwhelming play and indiscipline in the first half prompted Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ryan Clark, an ESPN analyst, to suggest on X that the Commanders should consider benching the veteran cornerback to prevent him from hurting the team further:

"I'd bench Lattimore."

A.J. Brown had a field day against Marshon Lattimore

The Commanders were banking on Marshon Lattimore to lockdown A.J. Brown and limit his impact on proceedings so they could turn their attention to containing Saquon Barkley. However, the veteran cornerback struggled to keep up with the All-Pro wide receiver.

Brown finished the game with six catches on eight targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. He was the only Eagles receiver to have over 50 receiving yards and a touchdown. Lattimore's inability to guard the 27-year-old meant the Commanders couldn't use their safeties to block the running lane to limit Barkley. He finished the game with 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

The only fight Lattimore put up against Brown was the shoving contest the duo engaged in after Hurts' touchdown late in the second quarter. The reward for winning that fight was a penalty flag for unnecessary roughness.

In their biggest game in 33 years, the Commanders did not get the performance they needed from their most experienced defender and it was one of the reasons why they suffered a blowout loss.