Eagles take control of the NFC East behind dominant defense and another big game from Saquon Barkley

PHILADELPHIA— This was the first of several measuring stick games Eagles what we will be dealing with in the coming weeks. Sure, the five-game winning streak they brought on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field was nice, but it came against teams that were a combined 13-35 this season.

What might they do in a first-place showdown for the NFC East against the Washington Commanders, perhaps the most surprising success story in the NFL this season?

What would the defense do? rookie sensation Jayden Daniels and Washington’s high-powered offense, which entered the game ranked third in the league in points and fourth in points?

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Dominate was the answer, but the 26-18 victory was not as decisive as it could have been due to the kicker Jake Elliott, a second-team All Pro had a nightmarish night a year ago, missing two field goals and an extra point.

The Eagles, after struggling to score most of the night, scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the fourth quarter to close out the game.

Saquon Barkley was responsible for the final two scores with TD runs of 23 and 39 yards, completing another big night with the Eagles. He finished with 146 yards on 26 carries and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth time in his career. Ten games is the fastest he has ever achieved. He also caught two passes for 52 yards.

Kenneth Gainwell covered 34 of 76 yards on the Eagles’ first touchdown drive of the night, taking the Eagles from the Washington 45 to the 4-yard line. Jalen Hurts eventually scored the go-ahead goal, but it wasn’t an entirely satisfying experience as Elliott missed the extra point, leaving the Commanders down just 12-10 early in the fourth quarter.

Washington got into position to make a field goal to regain the lead on the next possession, but after a fourth-and-1 play from the Eagles’ 26, Commanders coach Dan Quinn went for the first down. However, Daniels jumped and as he tried to reach the first-down marker on the right sideline, he was pushed out of bounds by Zack Baun.

Hurts had the upper hand in his first battle with Daniels, the leading candidate for the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year award. The Eagles quarterback completed 18 of 28 passes for 221 yards and ran nine times for 40 yards.

Daniels, meanwhile, was held in check most of the night before leading Washington on a touchdown drive with 28 seconds left. The rookie completed 22 of 32 passes for 191 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He ran seven times for 18 yards.

The Commanders finished with 264 yards of offense, which was their second-lowest total of the season, and 70 of them came on the final drive when the Eagles’ defense had deliberately loosened its grip.

The much-hyped battle for first place in the NFC East was an offensive battle for both sides in the first half, with the Commanders heading into the locker room with a 7-3 lead.

Hurts completed just 10 of 19 passes for 101 yards and the Eagles failed to score a first-half touchdown for the first time since Week 3 in New Orleans.

They entered the half with a 50-yard lead in yards (174-124) and a seven-minute lead in possession, but Elliott missed field goals from 44 and 51 yards prevented them from getting on the board. He finally hit from 21 yards out with 19 seconds left in the first half, drawing a Bronx/South Philly cheer from the crowd.

Daniels and the Commanders had one offensive surge in the first half on their second possession before their only touchdown on a 1-yard run by Brian Robinson. The drive started with a dump pass from Daniels to Austin Ekeler in the left flat, which the running back turned into a 34-yard gain on a bad tackle by Baun.

The Commanders went 58 yards on four plays on that touchdown drive, but gained just 56 yards on their other five drives of the half. Daniels completed just one pass to a wide receiver in the first half, but had five completions for 61 yards to Ekeler.

The Eagles’ most egregious mistake in the first half was a reverse flea flicker that flopped. By the time Hurts got the ball, he was swarmed by Washington outside linebacker Frankie Luvu, who sacked the quarterback for a loss of 13 yards. That botched play pushed the Eagles back from the Washington 36 to the 49 and ultimately led to Elliott’s 51-yard miss.

Elliott’s earlier miss from 44 yards came after the Eagles were buoyed by a holding call on Mekhi Becton on their opening drive, as the Eagles continued to struggle in the first quarter, especially at home. In four games at Linc this season, they have managed just 36 first-half points.

But the defense dominated and the offense, after another big day from Barkley, came alive in the fourth quarter as the Eagles extended their winning streak to six games and became the overwhelming favorites in the NFC East.

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Bob Brookover can be reached at [email protected]