close
close

Eagles pull away from Commanders in NFC East showdown

Posted on by Sweet
Eagles pull away from Commanders in NFC East showdown

  • Tim McManus

    Close

    Tim McManus

    ESPN Editor

      Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010. You can follow him on Twitter @Tim_McManus.

  • John Keim

    Close

    John Keim

    ESPN Editor

      John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint at the Washington Post. He began covering the team in 1994 for Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He is the author/co-author of four books. You can also listen to him on “The John Keim Report,” broadcast on ESPN Richmond Radio, and follow him on Twitter @john_keim.

November 14, 2024, 11:36 p.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — The Eagles extended their lead in the NFC East, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter to beat the second-place Washington Commanders, 26-18, Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, while quarterback Jalen Hurts put Philadelphia ahead with a touchdown to start the final quarter. The Commanders took an early lead in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brian Robinson Jr.

Here are the most important things to know from Thursday night for both teams:

The story of the Eagles’ season so far has been the incredible play of Barkley and the surprising performance of Vic Fangio’s defense. This continued in the division’s crucial victory Thursday against the Commanders.

On a night when Hurts struggled to get going, the defense kept rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels in check and threw a key fourth-quarter interception off safety Reed Blankenship to help create a snowball effect in favor of Philly. There were only modest expectations for the defense entering the season, but the Eagles entered the week ranked second in yards allowed per game and tied for fifth in points allowed per game, figures which should hold after Thursday.

Barkley scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in a span of 20 seconds to turn what was mostly a tough win into a comfortable victory for Philadelphia, which has now won six in a row.

The Eagles’ odds of winning the division increased from 63% to 81%, according to ESPN Analytics. They will enjoy their mini-bye before looking ahead to a Week 12 matchup against the Rams. This will be their last plane flight of the regular season.

Most surprising performance: The normally reliable Jake Elliott had a poor night, missing field goal attempts of 44 and 51 yards in the first half. He followed that up with a missed extra point early in the fourth quarter after the Eagles took the lead. Elliott entered the game tied for the second-highest field goal percentage (90.9%) among NFL kickers with over 80 attempts since 2021, but has now missed five field goals this season.

Promising trend: Barkley had his eighth game this season with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, the most in the NFL this season. He finished with 198 total yards (146 rushing, 52 receiving on two receptions). It was Barkley’s fourth straight game with 100 yards from scrimmage against the Commanders, marking the longest streak against Washington of his career. -Tim McManus

Next game: at Los Angeles Rams (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 24)

The Commanders showed the NFL they were a force to be reckoned with through the first nine games of the season. But on Thursday night, they proved they still weren’t good enough to challenge for NFC East supremacy, losing their second straight game and falling 1.5 games behind Philadelphia.

The Commanders defense limited explosive Eagles receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith for most of the game. But Barkley gashed them as a runner and receiver, while the Commanders couldn’t match his offensive production against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Washington has already won three more games than all of last season and is ahead of schedule in coach Dan Quinn’s first season. But the Commanders also showed that if they want to win the division, they’ll need more firepower to combat the Eagles’ diverse and explosive offense.

The Commanders averaged at least 5.3 yards per play in each of their first nine games. Over the past two weeks, they have averaged 4.1 and 4.2 respectively. This will have to improve for them to move beyond a pleasant surprise this season.

Crucial game: On fourth-and-2 from the Eagles’ 26-yard line with 8:01 left, Washington ran around a field goal and a potential 13-12 lead, trying to get more points to help a tiring defense. Instead, Daniels moved the shotgun throw, causing a delay on a QB sweep around the right end. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stopped it 2 yards on first down to hand the ball to Philadelphia, which scored touchdowns on its next two possessions. The Commanders had converted their first 11 fourth-down attempts this season, but have now failed on their last two.

Disturbing trend: The offense was held to fewer than 300 yards for the second straight game, but against two of the NFL’s best defenses in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Both defenses gave Daniels problems, but the Eagles also put constant pressure on him. Washington converted just 3 of 12 third downs after going 5-14 a week ago.

QB breakdown: Daniels has had a special start to the season, but Thursday was his worst game of his young NFL career. He failed to communicate with his receivers on Thursday – the players totaled four catches and 28 yards. Daniels’ legs haven’t been a big factor lately; he’s rushed for 13 yards in the last two games as teams have done well to keep him in the pocket. Daniels threw an interception and didn’t really threaten the Eagles defense. -John Keim

Next game: vs. Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, November 24)