The Eagles look an awful lot like they did last season—only in reverse. What started as a struggling team through the first four games looks stronger with each game since.
The Eagles won for the sixth-straight time Thursday night in what was a microcosm of their season—a slow start followed by an irrepressible push towards a 26-18 victory over the visiting Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles are now 8-2 and may arguably be the best team in the NFC, behind only the Detroit Lions. The Eagles now hold a 1.5-game lead over Washington (7-4) in the NFC East and are a half-game behind 8-1 Detroit to control the NFC. Four of the last five Eagles’ games will be home, with Baltimore (at Baltimore on Dec. 1) and Pittsburgh (at home on Dec. 15) currently posing any threats to the rolling Eagles.
This was a benchmark victory for the Eagles. The Eagles beat their first team over .500 since they defeated Green Bay in the season opener.
The defense has only given up six touchdowns in the last six weeks and caused 11 takeaways in the last four games. After rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns against Washington, Saquon Barkley is outperforming his huge contract, rushing for an average of 131 yards over his last five games, and like the Eagles, only seems to be getting stronger as the season progresses.
Jalen Hurts was an efficient 18 for 28 for 221 yards against Washington and led the Eagles to 20 fourth-quarter points, scoring on each of their fourth-quarter drives. For the fifth time in the last six games, Hurts did not turn the ball over, although, he has now been sacked seven times over the last two games for minus-61 yards.
There was a pile of good, some bad, and some ugly, in the Eagles’ dominant 26-18 victory over the Washington Commanders.
The Good
Saquon Barkley’s 39-yard touchdown that sealed the victory with 4:38 to play. It gave Barkley 146 yards rushing on 26 carries and it was his second touchdown. Barkley now has rushed for 1,137 yards and eight touchdowns this season. With seven games to play, Barkley is just 175 yards behind his all-time season best, when he ran for 1,312 yards in 2022 for the New York Giants.
Safety Reed Blankenship’s third interception of the season at the Washington 46 with 4:50 to play. That pretty much wrapped up the game. It was the 11th takeaway in the last four games for the Eagles.
Right tackle Lane Johnson’s kickout block on Washington defensive end Dorance Armstrong, center Cam Jurgens and right guard Mekhi Becton bottling up defensive tackle Daron Payne and linebacker Bobby Wagner inside, opening a clear lane for Barkley to go untouched for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:58 to play.
Linebacker Zack Baun coming up with consecutive plays with eight minutes left to play. First, on third-and-one, Baun teamed with Old Man River Brandon Graham to stuff Brian Robinson for minus-1 at the Eagles’ 25. Dan Quinn went into Nick Sirianni mode and took a field goal off the board on a fourth-and-two at the Eagles’ 26. Daniels botched the snap, and in a mad scramble rolled right to get the first down. Baun was there to greet him, knocking him out of bounds. The Eagles converted the stop into the first of Barkley’s two fourth-quarter TDs.
The Eagles’ second drive of the second half. The Eagles chewed through the Washington defense for 5:27 over 11 plays for 76 yards and their first lead. Over the 11 plays, the Eagles had just one third down. The Eagles only threw the ball three times, and it ended when Hurts scored from a yard out with 12:00 to play, giving the Eagles a 12-10 lead.
Rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell’s sterling job on Washington’s leading wide receiver Terry McLaurin, matched up with McLaurin on 11 of 15 routes, and holding him to zero targets through three quarters. McLaurin finished with one catch for 10 yards on two total targets.
Hurts’ reaching down the sideline for the first down on a third-and-seven at the Washington 38 on the first play of the fourth quarter. It preserved a series that was later capped by Hurts’ one-yard Brotherly Shove for the Eagles’ first lead.
Edge rusher Nolan Smith’s eight-yard sack on a third-and-five at the Washington 45 on the Commanders’ second drive of the second half.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter’s knifing through the Commanders’ offensive line to take down Brian Robinson for a two-yard loss on Washington’s second play of the second half.
Successive sacks by Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat for a combined minus-12 yards on Washington’s fourth drive.
Corner Darius Slay coming up to stop Austin Ekeler on Washington’s first play of its third possession for a two-yard loss. It came on Washington’s first-and-10 at the Commanders’ four.
Barkley going over 1,000 yards rushing this season on the first play of the Eagles’ second drive, an eight-yard gain to the Eagles’ 18 with 8:04 left in the first quarter. The gain gave Barkley 1,004 yards rushing.
Baun covering the field again. He made the first tackle of the game for the Eagles and in Washington’s opening series he broke up a Jayden Daniels’ intended pass for Dyami Brown.
Brown’s 25-yard reception on a first-and-10 at the Washington 48 on the Eagles’ opening drive. The play looked like it would get the Eagles’ offense going, only to have a holding call and Jake Elliot’s 44-yard field goal sail wide left.
A very small thing, yet a very big thing. Did anyone notice A.J. Brown rushing to the aid of teammate Jahan Dotson after the opening play of the game, when Dotson took a Hurts’ pass eight yards to the Eagles’ 38? Washington nickelback Noah Igbinoghene shoved Dotson while he was on the ground.
The Bad
On the refs for the no-call on Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu grabbing DeVonta Smith under his helmet on a first-and-10 at the Washington 48 in the final minute of the third quarter. The play was originally flagged for face masking, which it should have been but was waved off, despite Luvu clearly grabbing Smith under his helmet to take him down.
The Eagles opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that absorbed 5:31 off the clock. OK, that was good. The result was bad—another Elliott field goal.
One look at the halftime stats and you would figure the Eagles would hold a lead over the Commanders. Through two quarters, the Eagles had outgained Washington, 174-124, had 11 first downs to the Washington’s six, ran off 42 plays to Washington’s 26 and had the ball for almost seven minutes longer than the Commanders (18:29 to 11:31). Yet, all the Eagles could come up with was a Jake Elliott 21-yard field goal in the closing seconds of the half. What did not help the Eagles were some dropped passes, some Hurts’ misthrows, some penalties at inopportune times and two missed Elliott field goal attempts.
Smith and Brown running into each other at the goal line on the Eagles’ third-and-goal at the Washington three in the final minute of the first half. It ruined the timing of the play and forced Hurts into scrambling and throwing the ball away.
Dotson’s drop on a third-and-four at the Eagles’ 42 on the Eagles’ third drive.
DeVonta Smith on a very rare drop on the sideline on a first-and-10 at the Eagles’ 36 on the first play of their third drive.
Becton’s holding call on the Eagles’ first drive. The Eagles were moving, with the ball at the Washington 25 faced with a second-and-12. Becton was caught pulling down Washington defensive tackle Sheldon Day as he came rushing at Hurts. The flag flew and a second-and-12 became a second-and-22 at the Commanders’ 35.
The Ugly
Elliott had a rough night, missing a rare two field goal attempts, one of 44 yards, the second of 51, and then missing a fourth-quarter extra point after the Eagles took their first lead of the game.
Cornerback Cooper DeJean flagged for pass interference on Washington’s first drive of the second half. The ugly part was the penalty came on a third-and-five at midfield. The penalty extended Washington’s drive and led to Zane Gonzalez’s 45-yard field goal with 11:03 left in the third quarter.
The drive chart on the Eagles’ first five drives read: Missed FG, punt, punt, missed FG, punt.
The 13-yard loss on the failed flea flicker at the Washington 36 on the Eagles’ opening drive of the second quarter. Commanders’ linebacker Frankie Luvu easily whiffed out what the Eagles were trying to do and took Hurts down. It forced Elliott into a 51-yard field goal attempt, which he missed. This one falls on Nick Sirianni to try something like that, while the running game was working.
Baun taking a 33-yard ride on Austin Ekeler’s back on the first play of Washington’s second drive with 5:12 left in the first quarter. Baun, for as good as he has been this season, read this play wrong. He did not catch up to Ekeler until he was 10 yards down field with the screen pass from Daniels. Then when he did, he could take Ekeler down for another 15 yards. The play led to the first score of the game and a Washington 7-0 lead. On the same drive, Baun later missed Brian Robinson cutting through the Eagles’ defensive line for 18 yards. Baun was hesitant and paid a price.
The Eagles first drive. You take the opening kickoff to the Washington 26 after converting a pair of third downs, and this is what you get—nothing?
