Eagles win sixth straight, outlast Commanders

PHILADELPHIA — C.J. Gardner-Johnson sauntered in from the scene of a sixth straight win and delivered a message as cold as the foggy air escaping his lips.

”Washington,” the safety hollered. “Respect y’all. But y’all know this s— runs through us.”

That’s the cold hard truth. The Philadelphia Eagles, winners of three of the last seven NFC East titles, outlasted the challenging Washington Commanders in a tight game that unraveled into yet another definitive statement that the Eagles remain one of the conference’s major powers:

Eagles 26. Commanders 18.

The new-look Commanders nearly surpassed their rivals. Their rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, helped gain a lead that lasted three quarters. But down two points in the fourth, first-year coach Dan Quinn made what he admitted was a “bold call” to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the Eagles 26 — well within field goal range. Instead of going for a one-point lead with 8:01 remaining in the game, Quinn placed the ball in his rookie’s hands. Daniels bobbled the snap. An offensive lineman pulled the wrong way into another. Daniels bailed right until he was stopped for no gain by Eagles linebacker Zack Baun.

It was a calamitous play. Saquon Barkley made it devastating. Four plays later, the NFC’s leading rusher burst untouched for a 23-yard score, chucking the football into the stands as if he knew the Eagles wouldn’t need it again.

Yards had required heavy labor. They’d nearly handed the ball back. Just before Barkley’s score, Dallas Goedert coughed up the ball on a 32-yard gain. Grant Calcaterra recovered the fumble.

Points had been evasive. They’d twice failed to score touchdowns in the red zone. Jake Elliott, reliable in his previous seven seasons, missed two field goals and an extra point that gave the Commanders their window to secure a fourth-quarter lead.

It seemed certain Washington score. Daniels struck tight end John Bates for a 9-yard pass that set up second-and-1 at the Eagles 25. But a Philadelphia defensive front that had flummoxed Washington all night tightened once again. Jalen Carter mauled Brian Robinson for no gain. Jordan Davis caved in the next running lane, and Baun and Brandon Graham dropped Robinson for a one-yard loss. Entering that fatal fourth down, the Eagles had allowed negative-one yards rushing on seven short-yardage plays (three yards to go or less). It’s confounding how Quinn considered that his odds were probable.

“Defense played a hell of a game again,” quarterback Jalen Hurts said.

Underline that. There’s a reason Hurts calls Baun “the tone-setter.” For yet another week within Philadelphia’s eight-game win streak, the Eagles defense stripped its opponent to its most inefficient image. The Commanders entered Thursday night with the league’s third-ranked offense in both yards and points. The Eagles held them to their second-fewest yardage total (264) while limiting the dual-threat Daniels to 191 passing yards and 18 rushing yards.

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio mostly fielded a defensive front that involved two interior defensive tackles and two edge rushers. This allowed Philadelphia to field both inside linebackers, Baun and Nakobe Dean, while still deploying their nickel package in the secondary. The game plan required Baun and Dean to contain Daniels, play well in coverage and assist a two-man interior against the run.

Baun and Dean mostly excelled. Baun wrangled a receiver on the first play of their first possession, and then dove to deflect a punt-forcing third down pass. The Commanders broke through Baun on their second drive. Daniels swung the ball left to Austin Ekeler, and the running back burst past Baun for a 34-yard gain. Two plays later, Robinson busted Baun’s tackle attempt for an 18-yard gain to the Eagles 1. Robinson scored a play later: 7-0, Commanders.

The Eagles only allowed a field goal on their next eight defensive drives. They forced three straight punts. Dean downed Daniels in the open field to force a three-and-out on a third-down scramble. The Philadelphia secondary neutralized a potent receiving corps. No Commanders wide receiver had more than one catch, nor more than 10 yards. Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell often matched up against Terry McLaurin, who entered the game with 711 yards and six touchdowns. McLaurin drew two targets. He had one catch. He had 10 yards.

Daniels was forced to settle for checkdowns, flares and short-range throws to his tight ends and running backs. Ekeler led the Commanders with eight catches for 89 yards. On a third-and-9 situation in the second quarter, the Commanders fielded a receiver-heavy package that forced the Eagles to deploy Avonte Maddox along with Cooper DeJean in Dime for the first time. Fangio blitzed Dean in a five-man rush, and Daniels tried to hit Ekeler. He dropped a pass that would’ve likely fallen short of the sticks, anyway.

Carter, Philadelphia’s No. 9 pick in 2023, recorded a season-high seven tackles. He was a frequent force in a front that limited a fourth-rank rushing attack (153.5 yards per game) to its third-fewest rushing yards of the season (93). He’s part of a young core that includes Davis, Dean and Nolan Smith, who, by sacking Daniels, extended his season-high sack total to 3.5 in 2024.

“I heard about Jalen Carter before I got here,” said Baun, who led the Eagles with 14 tackles. “But it’s different to see it in person, and to play behind it is unreal.”

The Eagles defense bought time for its offense to finally break through. Hurts, who finished 18-of-28 passing for 221 yards, and the offense initially appeared flustered. DeVonta Smith dropped a first-down throw along the sideline in the first half. On a subsequent third-and-4, Jahan Dotson couldn’t haul in a slant while Mike Sainristil struck him and dislodged the ball. Even when the Eagles reached the red zone, Hurts couldn’t rely on his usual one-on-one matchups. Brown couldn’t shake Sainristil on a third-down throw, which fell incomplete, leading to an Elliott field goal.

Philadelphia squandered their best field position of the first half. Starting at the Commanders 48 at the start of the second quarter, the Eagles eventually reached first-and-10 at the 36. Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore then curiously called a triple reverse pass in which Hurts was sacked for a loss of 13 yards.

“We’re trying to get a big play,” Sirianni said. “Sometimes they work. Sometimes they don’t.”

All the Eagles could do then was try and get in field goal range. Hurts found 16 yards with two quick passes. But Elliott missed a 51-yard attempt wide left. He’d missed a 44-yard attempt earlier in the game. Elliott had only missed two field goals in one other game: a win over the Cowboys in 2019, and both attempts were of 50-plus yards. Elliott has never missed more than five field goals in a season. He’s now missed five through 10 games.

The Eagles continued their win streak by relying on their strengths. Barkley entered the fourth quarter averaging fewer than four yards per carry.

“It’s like we’re just one block away or one key away from having one hit,” center Cam Jurgens said. “We felt like we’re getting push on them all game and we can run the ball. We’re just happy, you know, that Kellen kept at it, and we just kept persevering through.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.