The Eagles keep their distance from the Commanders in the NFC East game
The city of Philadelphia The Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders, who were in second place, 26-18 on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field, scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter in order to extend their NFC East lead.
While quarterback Jalen Hurts gave Philadelphia the lead with a touchdown run to begin the final quarter, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two scores in the fourth quarter. Brian Robinson Jr.’s 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter gave the Commanders the lead.
The following are the key takeaways for both sides from Thursday night:
Barkley’s amazing play and Vic Fangio’s defense’s unexpected performance have been the highlights of the Eagles’ season thus far. The pivotal divisional victory over the Commanders on Thursday was another example of that.
The defense held freshman QB phenom Jayden Daniels in check and produced a crucial fourth-quarter interception by safety Reed Blankenship to help Philly create a domino effect on a night when Hurts was having trouble getting going. Despite having low expectations for the defense going into the season, the Eagles started the week tied for fifth place in points allowed per game and second in yards permitted per game, both of which ought to remain stable following Thursday.
After what was essentially a nail-biter, Barkley scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in 20 seconds to give Philadelphia, which has now won six straight games, a resounding victory.
According to ESPN Analytics, the Eagles’ odds of winning the division increased from 63% to 81%. Before focusing on a Week 12 game against the Rams, they will enjoy their little farewell. Their final flight of the regular season will be this one.
Most unexpected performance: Jake Elliott, who is usually dependable, had a poor night and missed field goals from 44 and 51 yards in the first half. He missed an extra point early in the fourth quarter after the Eagles had taken the lead. Elliott has already missed five field goals this season, but he started the game tied for the second-highest field goal percentage (90.9%) among NFL kickers with 80-plus attempts since 2021.
Positive trend: Barkley recorded the most yards from scrimmage in the NFL this season, with at least 100 yards in his eighth game. With 146 running yards and 52 receiving yards on two receptions, he finished with 198 total yards. Barkley had the longest run of 100 scrimmage yards against Washington in his career, and it came against the Commanders for the fourth consecutive game. Tim McManus
During the first nine games of the season, the Commanders proved to the NFL that they were a formidable force. However, they lost their second straight game and fell 1.5 games behind Philadelphia on Thursday night, demonstrating that they were still not good enough to contend for NFC East supremacy.
For the majority of the game, the Commanders’ defense kept explosive Eagles receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown in check. However, Barkley outperformed them as a receiver and runner, and the Commanders were unable to match his offensive performance against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
In coach Dan Quinn’s first season, Washington is ahead of schedule and has already won three more games than it did during the whole previous campaign. However, the commanders also demonstrated that they will require additional firepower to counter the Eagles’ explosive and varied offensive if they are to capture the division.
In their first nine games, the Commanders averaged at least 5.3 yards per play. They have averaged 4.1 and 4.2 during the last two weeks, respectively. For them to go beyond being a welcome surprise this season, that will need to change.
Crucial play: With 8:01 left in the game, Washington avoided a field goal and a possible 13–12 lead on fourth-and-2 from the Eagles’ 26-yard line in an attempt to score additional points to support a worn-out defense. Rather, a quarterback sweep around right end was delayed because Daniels fumbled the shotgun snap. The Eagles gave the ball to Philadelphia, who scored touchdowns on their next two possessions, when linebacker Zack Baun stopped him two yards short of a first down. Despite converting their first 11 fourth-down attempts this season, the Commanders have already missed their last two.
Disturbing trend: The offense was restricted to less than 300 yards for the second straight game, albeit against Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, two of the NFL’s best defenses. Daniels struggled against both defenses, but the Eagles also applied constant pressure. Washington was 5-14 a week ago and only converted 3 of 12 third downs.
QB breakdown: Despite having an incredible start to the season, Daniels’ performance on Thursday was the worst of his early NFL career. He couldn’t connect with his receivers, but the wideouts combined for four catches and 28 yards on Thursday. Daniels’ legs haven’t been an issue lately; in the last two games, he’s ran for 13 yards as teams have done a good job of keeping him in the game. pocket. Daniels didn’t provide much of a danger to the Eagles defense and just made one interception. — Keim, John