Eagles Take Control Of NFC East Behind Defense, Saquon Barkley, Beat Commanders

Saquon Barkley scored a pair of touchdown 20 seconds apart and the defense smothered Washington rookie quarerback Jayden Daniels.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. (8) scores a d against Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship (32) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles defense once again flexed its might, making Jayden Daniels look pedestrian, and Saquon Barkley scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns just 20 seconds apart as the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders, 26-18, to take control of the NFC East.

It was the Eagles’ sixth straight win, and they still haven’t lost after their Week 5 bye. At 8-2, they now lead the NFC East by 1.5 games over the Commanders, who have lost two in a row to fall to 7-4.

The Eagles overcame a lot of adversity in this game, including quarterback Jalen Hurts having to clear a concussion test at halftime. Hurts was 18-for-28 with 221 yards and a passer rating of 88.5. He ran for one touchdown and now has 11 of those this season. He threw more than 25 passes for the first time during this winning streak.

Barkley had 20 carries for 69 yards after three quarters. He finished with 146 yards on 26 carries. He broke open the game with a 23-yard touchdown run that gave the Eagles a 19-10 lead.

Safety Reed Blankenship gave the Eagles the ball right back with an interception. It was his team-high third pick of the season and just the third interception thrown by Daniels this season. Blankenship also made 10 tackles.

Barkley then went 39 yards with his second TD of the night to make it 26-10 with 4:55 to play. He has eight rushing scores this season and two receiving. He had 198 total yards with two catches for 52 yards.

Daniels finished 22-for-32 with 191 yards, and a cosmetic touchdown throw with 28 seconds left to Zach Ertz. His passer rating was 81.6. He had just 18 yards on 17 carries and the Eagles sacked him three times, with Brandon Graham, Nolan Smith and Josh Sweat getting them. It was Sweat’s team-leading sixth sack of the season.

The defense, ranked second in the league coming, held the Commanders to 264 total yards while the Eagles offense put up 434 yards.

TURNING POINT

Zack Baun stop. The reigning NFC Defensive Player of the Week made a fourth down stop with 7:55 to play. The Commanders, trailing 12-10 at the time, chose not to try a field goal, but instead roll Daniels out for a run. Baun drilled him, knocking him out of bounds for no gain. Baun had 14 tackles. His tackle gave the Eagles the ball back and the offense marched the field with Barkley’s second TD run extending the lead.

STUDS

Nolan Smith. The edge rusher’s sack of Jayden Daniels on third down late in the third quarter, gave the Eagles the ball back and it led to their first scoring drive of the night. Smith has 3.5 sacks this season.

Kenny Gainwell. The backup runner had rushes of 14, 13 and 7 yards on the Eagles touchdown drive that was finished with Jalen Hurts’ tush push TD to give the Eagles a 12-10 lead with 12 minutes to play. He also had a nice block to allow Hurts to run for a first down inside the 10 that led to a field goal at the end of a first half that ended 7-3 in the Commanders’ favor. He ended with 43 yards on four runs.

Saquon Barkley. See above. An addendum: He now has 1,137 yards rushing this season.

Jalen Carter. The defensive tackle was, once again, hard to block, playing on the other side of the line of scrimmage most of the night. He finished with a career-high seven tackles.

Nakobe Dean. The linebacker had 10 tackles and continues to play at a high level.

Nov 14, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) makes a catch in front of Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Chinn (11) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

DUDS

Jake Elliott. The usually reliable kicker was wide left on two makeable kicks, one from 44 that would’ve given the Eagles a 3-0 lead and another from 51 that would’ve pulled Philly to within 7-3 with 11:35 left in the second quarter. He is now 0-for-4 from 50-plus yards this season. His two misses in the first half were as many misses as he had all of last year.

Elliott wasn’t done with his misery. He missed a PAT with 12 minutes preventing the Eagles from going ahead 13-10. Instead, they had to settle for a 12-10 edge. In all, he cost his team seven points.

Squandered field position. The Eagles got the ball at their own 36 late in the first quarter on a 33-yard kickoff return by Will Shipley but went three-and-out. On their next possession, an 8-yard punt return by Cooper DeJean set up the offense in Washington’s territory at the 48. Elliott missed a field goal on this possession.

Red zone offense: The Eagles didn’t get into the red zone until 53 seconds were left in the first half. They made two trips overall but had to settle for two field goals.

NUGGETS

-Washington got away with a face mask on Hurts scramble on third-and-goal from 3. Eagles had to settle for a 21-yard Elliott field goal. Referee Adrian Hill’s crew then picked up another face mask flag on DeVonta Smith late in the third quarter when replays showed he was face masked.

-Dallas Goedert ha a 41-yard catch to give the Eagles 14 plays of 40-plus yards this season. They had nine of those last year.

INJURIES

-Quarterback Jalen Hurts was evaluated for a concussion at halftime but cleared to return.

-Left guard Landon Dickerson limped just 61 seconds into game limped off. Tyler Steen came in, but Dickerson was back out for the next series.

-Milton Williams left in the fourth quarter with a foot injury and did not return.

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