Eagles pull away from Commanders in NFC East showdown

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

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

Here’s the most important thing to know for both teams from Thursday night.

The story of the Eagles’ season so far has been the incredible play of Barkley and the incredible performance of Vic Fangio’s defense. That continued with Thursday’s key divisional victory over Cmdr.

On a night when Hurts struggled to get going, the defense kept rookie quarterback sensation Jaden Daniels in check and made a key interception in the fourth quarter courtesy of safety Reed Blankenship that snowballed in Philadelphia’s favor. created a formal effect. There were only modest expectations for the defense entering the season, but the Eagles entered this week ranking second in yards allowed per game and tied for fifth in points per game, and after Thursday. This number has been maintained.

Barkley scored two touchdowns in a 20-second span in the fourth quarter, turning what was a near loss into a victory for Philadelphia, which has now won six straight.

According to ESPN Analytics, the Eagles’ chances of winning the division have jumped from 63% to 81%. They will enjoy a mini-bye before turning their attention to the Rams in Week 12. This will be the last flight of the regular season.

The most amazing performance: The usually reliable Jake Elliott had a below-average night, missing field goal attempts from 44 and 51 yards in the first half. After the Eagles took the lead, they missed an extra point early in the fourth quarter and were able to chase it down. Elliott entered the game with the second-highest field goal percentage (90.9%) among NFL kickers with over 80 attempts since 2021, but he has missed five field goals this season. There is.

Promising trends: Barkley gained over 100 yards from scrimmage in his eighth game this season, 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 scrimmage yards against the Commanders, and the longest streak of his career against Washington. — Tim McManus

Next match: Los Angeles Rams (Sunday, Nov. 24, 8:20 p.m. ET)

Coaches have shown through the first nine games of this season that they need to be considered by the NFL. But Thursday night proved they weren’t quite there to challenge for NFC East supremacy, losing their second straight game and falling to 1.5 games behind Philadelphia.

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

Washington has already won three more games than it had all of last season and is ahead of schedule in coach Dan Quinn’s first season. But the coaches also showed they needed more firepower to counter the Eagles’ diverse and explosive offense if they wanted to win the division.

The coaches averaged at least 5.3 yards per play through the first nine games. The averages for the past two weeks were 4.1 and 4.2, respectively. They will need to improve on that this season if they are to progress beyond being a pleasant surprise.

Important plays: On a fourth-and-2 from the Eagles’ own 26-yard line with 8:01 left in the game, Washington avoided a field goal, avoided a potential 13-12 lead, and scored more points to help a tired defense. I tried to earn money. Instead, Daniels bobbled a shotgun snap, resulting in a late QB sweep near the right end. Eagles linebacker Zach Baun stopped him two yards short of first down, giving the ball to Philadelphia, who scored touchdowns on their next two possessions. The managers have made their first 11 fourth-down attempts this season, but have missed the last two.

Worrying trends: Despite playing against two of the NFL’s top defenses in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, they were held to less than 300 yards of offense for the second straight game. Both defenses caused problems for Daniels, but the Eagles also consistently pressured him. Washington converted just 3 of 12 third downs after going 5-14 a week ago.

QB breakdown: Daniels had a special start to the season, but Thursday was the worst game of his young NFL career. He was unable to connect with his receivers Thursday, holding the wideouts to a combined four catches and 28 yards. Daniels’ feet aren’t a recent factor. He has 13 yards rushing in the past two games as the team has done a good job of keeping him in the pocket. Daniels had one interception, but didn’t pose much of a threat to the Eagles’ defense. — John Keim

Next match: vs. Dallas Cowboys (Sunday, November 24th, 1:00 PM ET)