Despite a slow start, the Eagles moved to 8-2 on the season with a strong 4th quarter.
Following their thrashing of the Cowboys last Sunday in Dallas, the Eagles had just 3 days to prepare for their Thursday night showdown with the upstart Washington Commanders. The Commanders, led by rookie phenom Jayden Daniels at quarterback, have been the surprise of the NFL this season and entered Thursday night’s game just a half-game back of the Eagles for the division lead.
After the Eagles’ 26-18 victory though, the Eagles have now taken a dominant lead in the division and hold both the head-to-head and division record tiebreakers over Washington.
The Eagles got off to another slow start in this game, failing to score a point in the first quarter for the eighth time this season. The Eagles were only able to muster up 3 points in the entire first half and went and went into halftime down 7-3.
The Eagles would have scored more in the half and the game if it weren’t for special teams errors by their usually sure-footed kicker Jake Elliott. Elliot missed a 44 and a 51-yard field goal in the first and second quarters, respectively. He also missed an extra point following a Jalen Hurts touchdown in the fourth quarter, which would have put them up by a field goal.
Elliott has been one of the Eagles’ most reliable players the past few seasons, and head coach Nick Sirianni intimated as much in his post-game press conference. “He’s been so clutch his entire career and the entire time I’ve been here,” Sirianni said. “Just like I would say to somebody that fumbled or dropped a pass in the moment, we believe in you, you’re gonna have to make a kick to help us win this football game. And he did that got us up 16 points and eight points or whatever it was. We have so much faith in him.”
The defense was again fantastic on Thursday night. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has this defense flying around the field and playing like one of the best defenses in the NFL. Rookie 1st round pick Quinyon Mitchell has been fantastic, and after holding star Washington wideout Terry Mclaurin to just 10 yards on 1 reception has moved into rookie of the year consideration.
The vibes on this defense are also significantly better than they were last season during their late-season meltdown. Defensive players are having fun on the sidelines, making incredible impact plays, and generally look like they like each other off the field.
Saquon Barkley was again the best player on the field on Thursday night. He continues to look like the best free-agency signing of the year and is making the Giants organization regret letting him walk out the door. Saquon carried the ball 26 times for 146 yards and two massive 4th-quarter touchdowns to basically win the game. The second of those touchdowns came after a late interception by Reed Blankenship and saw Barkley make this insane cut to scamper into the endzone untouched and ice away the game.
The Eagles now have a mini bye week as they have 10 days off following the quick Thursday night turnaround. They’ll look to continue their winning ways as the host the struggling Los Angeles Rams at the Linc on Sunday, November 14th.
