Eagles pull away from Commanders in NFC East showdown

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

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

Here are the most important things to know coming into Thursday night for both teams:

The story of the Eagles’ season so far has been the incredible play of Barkley and the surprising performance of Vic Fangio’s defense. That continued in Thursday’s crucial divisional victory over the Commanders.

On a night where Hurts struggled to get going, the defense held rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in check and came up with a key interception in the fourth quarter, courtesy of safety Reed Blankenship, to help create a turnover. of snow in favor of Philadelphia. There were only modest expectations for the defense entering the season, but the Eagles entered the week second in yards allowed per game and tied for fifth in points allowed per game, numbers that will remain after Thursday.

Barkley scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns in a 20-second span to turn what was mostly a thrilling moment into a comfortable victory for Philadelphia, which has now won six in a row.

The Eagles’ chances of winning the division skyrocketed from 63% to 81%, according to ESPN Analytics. They will enjoy their mini break before turning their attention to the Week 12 matchup against the Rams. It will be his last plane trip of the regular season.

Most surprising performance: The normally reliable Jake Elliott had a mediocre night, missing field goal attempts of 44 and 51 yards in the first half. He followed it up with a missed extra point early in the fourth quarter after the Eagles had taken the lead. Elliott entered the game tied for the second-highest field goal percentage (90.9%) among NFL kickers with 80+ attempts since 2021, but has now missed five field goals this season.

Promising trend: Barkley had his eighth game this season with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, 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 consecutive 100-yard game from scrimmage against the Commanders, marking the longest streak against Washington in his career. -Tim McManus

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

The Commanders showed the NFL they were worth counting through the first nine games of this season. But Thursday night proved they still weren’t good enough to challenge for NFC East supremacy, losing their second straight game and falling 1.5 games behind Philadelphia.

The Commanders’ defense limited the Eagles’ explosive receivers, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, for most of the game. But Barkley criticized them at running back and receiver, while the Commanders couldn’t match his offensive performance against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

Washington has already won three more games than it did all of last season and is ahead of schedule in coach Dan Quinn’s first season. But the commanders also showed that if they want to win the division, they will need more firepower to combat the Eagles’ diverse and explosive attack.

The Commanders averaged at least 5.3 yards per play in each of their first nine games. In the last two weeks they have averaged 4.1 and 4.2, respectively. That will have to improve for them to stop being a pleasant surprise this season.

Fundamental game: On fourth-and-2 from the Eagles’ 26-yard line with 8:01 left in the game, Washington avoided a field goal and a possible 13-12 lead, trying to get more points to help a tired defense. Instead, Daniels missed the shotgun blast, causing a delay on a QB sweep down the right end. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stopped him two yards short of a first down to hand the ball off to Philadelphia, which scored touchdowns on its next two possessions. The Commanders had converted their first 11 fourth-down attempts this season, but have now failed on their last two.

Worrying trend: The offense was held to fewer than 300 yards for the second straight game, albeit against two of the NFL’s best defenses in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Both defenses gave Daniels problems, but the Eagles also pressured him consistently. 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 couldn’t connect with his receivers on Thursday: The receivers combined for four receptions and 28 yards. Daniels’ legs haven’t been a factor lately; He has rushed for 13 yards in the last two games and teams have done well to keep him contained in the pocket. Daniels threw an interception and didn’t really threaten the Eagles defense. -John Keim

Next match: vs. Dallas Cowboys (1 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 24)