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PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Eagles took command of the NFC East with a 26-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday night, and the game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. The Eagles outscored the Commanders 434-264 and averaged 6.2 yards per play to the Commanders’ 4.2.
Philadelphia (8-2) has a two-game lead in the loss column over Washington (7-4) with the win, as the Eagles have won six in a row. Washington has lost two games in a row after a 7-2 start, dropping two games against Philadelphia in the division standings in five days.
Is the race for the NFC East over? Are the commanders exposed? Which overreactions are really overreactions from Thursday’s matchup and which are reality?
The Eagles concluded the NFC East with a victory
Overreaction or reality: overreaction
While the Eagles’ victory over the Commanders was impressive, this is not a game that determined the winner of the NFC East. It’s fair to say this was a game the Eagles “must have won” to take control of the division, a game in which they have a two-game lead in the loss column with seven games left.
The Eagles had a commanding lead in the NFC East after Week 11 last season before collapsing, but this team is significantly different. It’s not about what the Eagles will or won’t do in the final seven games. The Commanders have a fairly easy schedule before facing the Eagles again in Week 16.
Washington faces Dallas and Tennessee at home before their bye week. A road game at New Orleans remains on the schedule before a rematch against Philadelphia in Week 16. Washington then finishes with a home date against Atlanta and a road game against Dallas. Four of the next five games are at home and the next three games are against teams with a losing record.
Philadelphia has road dates in Los Angeles and Baltimore, before home games against Carolina and Pittsburgh before the Week 16 showdown in Washington. Due to the Commanders’ schedule, the NFC East is far from over.
Jayden Daniels, the commander’s offensive has been resolved
Overreaction or reality: Reality
In the last two games, the Commanders have faced two top-10 defenses: the Steelers and the Eagles. The results have not been good for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s unit. Washington has averaged just 253 yards in those two games while going just 4.1 yards per play and converting 30.8% of its third downs. The biggest indicator of their struggles is the rushing yards quarterback Jayden Daniels has totaled in the last two games: just 23.
With Daniels limited in running the ball, it takes away the biggest strength of his game. In that two-game span, Daniels completed 59.1% of his passes for 393 yards with one touchdown to one interception and a passer rating of 73.9, and that touchdown came in the final minute on Thursday with the game already decided. The Commanders lost both games.
Daniels and the Commanders will likely get things back on track against the sub-.500 teams they’ll face in the coming weeks, but they still have to prove themselves against very good defenses. That’s the next step for Kingsbury and Daniels moving forward.
Saquon Barkley should be the favorite for MVP
Overreaction or reality: overreaction
Lamar Jackson exists, which makes the arguments for MVP not as strong as in previous years. However, there is no denying what Barkley has brought to this Eagles offense.
Barkley had 26 carries for 146 yards and two touchdowns (5.2 yards per carry) and two receptions for 52 yards, giving him 198 yards from scrimmage that night. Thursday was Barkley’s fourth game this season with 140-plus yards, which is the most by any running back in 10 games since Shawn Alexander in 2005 (when Alexander won MVP). Barkley leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,137) and yards from scrimmage (1,347) this season, while he has 738 of those rushing yards and is averaging 7.2 yards per carry in the second half of games. He leads the league in both categories.
The Eagles’ offense, even when inconsistent, continues to move the ball thanks to Barkley. They are also finishing games thanks to Barkley. If it weren’t for Barkley, the Eagles wouldn’t be one of the NFL’s elite teams.
Jackson is the favorite for the MVP award, but Barkley has a better case than most think. He’s not a favorite yet, but he’s getting there.
