Eagles pull away from Commanders in NFC East showdown

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

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, while quarterback Jalen Hurts put Philadelphia ahead with a touchdown run to start the final 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 from Thursday night for both teams:

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

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 win over the Commanders.

On a night when Hurts struggled to get going, the defense kept rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels in check and came up with a key fourth-quarter interception courtesy of safety Reed Blankenship to help create a snowball effect in Philly’s favor. There were only modest expectations for the defense coming into the season, but the Eagles entered the week ranked second in yards allowed per game and tied for fifth in points allowed per game, figures that stand to hold up after Thursday.

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

The Eagles’ chances of winning the division shot up from 63% to 81%, according to ESPN Analytics. They’ll enjoy their mini-bye before turning their attention to a Week 12 matchup against the Rams. It will be their last plane ride of the regular season.

Most surprising performance: The normally reliable Jake Elliott had a sub-par night, missing field goal attempts from 44 and 51 yards in the first half. He followed up with a missed extra point early in the fourth quarter after the Eagles went ahead. Elliott entered the game tied for the second-highest field-goal percentage (90.9%) among NFL kickers with 80-plus 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 straight game with 100 scrimmage yards vs. the Commanders, marking the longest streak against Washington in his career. — Tim McManus

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

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

The Commanders showed the NFL they needed to be reckoned with through the first nine games this season. But Thursday night proved that they still weren’t good enough to challenge for NFC East supremacy, losing their second game in a row and falling 1.5 games behind Philadelphia.

The Commanders defense limited explosive Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for most of the game. But Barkley gashed them as a runner and a receiver, while the Commanders could not match his offensive output against one of the NFL’s top 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’ll 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’ve averaged 4.1 and 4.2, respectively. That will need to improve for them to progress past being a pleasant surprise this season.

Pivotal play: On fourth-and-2 from the Eagles’ 26-yard line with 8:01 remaining in the game, Washington bypassed a field goal and potential 13-12 lead, trying to get more points to aid a tiring defense. Instead, Daniels bobbled the shotgun snap, which caused a delay on a QB sweep around right end. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun stopped him two yards short of a first down to turn the ball over to Philadelphia, which scored touchdowns on its next two possessions. The Commanders had converted their first 11 fourth-down attempts this season but now has failed on their last two.

Troubling trend: The offense was held to fewer than 300 yards for the second consecutive game — albeit against two of the NFL’s top defenses in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Both defenses caused problems for Daniels, but the Eagles also pressured him consistently. Washington converted only 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 his worst game of his young NFL career. He was unable to connect with his receivers Thursday — the wideouts combined for four catches and 28 yards. Daniels’ legs have not been a factor of late; he’s rushed for 13 yards in the past two games as teams have done well to keep him contained in the pocket. Daniels threw one interception and didn’t really threaten the Eagles’ defense. — John Keim

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