Philadelphia Eagles Dominate the Fourth Quarter to Defeat Washington Commanders, Extend Winning Streak to Six

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Washington Commanders 26–18 on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field after scoring three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including two from standout running back Saquon Barkley.

The Eagles currently lead the Commanders by 1.5 games for first place in the NFC East as Barkley finished with 146 rushing yards and two touchdowns, extending their winning streak to six games in a row. 

Washington took the lead 7-0 in the first quarter when rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders to a four-play, 58-yard drive. Earlier in the drive, Daniels had moved Washington down the field with a screen pass in the backfield to Austin Ekeler. The running back first ducked the defender before being taken down for a 34-yard gain.

A few plays later, Brian Robinson sprinted for an 18-yard gain before receiving an inside pass close to the goal line and scoring the touchdown.

 

After being tackled from behind by defensive back Quan Martin and another Commanders defender in the second quarter, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts briefly departed the game and was assessed for a concussion. Martin's chest pressed Hurts' head on the turf as he fell forward.

 

At halftime, with the Eagles behind 7-3, the 26-year-old sprinted into the locker room after entering the blue medical tent. Hurts played the whole second half after receiving the all-clear from the medical team.

After the game, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni stated, "We discussed at halftime that this was going to be a dirty and gritty game, and just keep going because we know we're dirty and gritty." At halftime, the conversation was, 'Hey, this is a street battle.' We simply kept going. Who is harder over a longer period is more important than who is tougher. 

The fourth quarter was the game's pivotal moment. Washington decided to go for a first down after falling 12–10 with the Commanders being in a fourth-and-two position in field goal range. Daniels was tackled near the sideline after he fumbled the snap and tried to rush for the first.

 

That was enormous. That is enormous. Regarding the fourth-down stop, Sirianni stated, "In our opinion, that is a turnover." "Jayden Daniels is undoubtedly a very talented football player and athlete. Being able to get the stop and string that thing out was nice. We went down and made it a two-score game, so it was really big. 

Barkley broke off for a 23-yard scamper to score his first touchdown after the turnover on downs, giving the Eagles a 19–10 lead. On the next possession, the Eagles offense got the ball on Washington's 46-yard line after Philadelphia's defense intercepted a Daniels pass on the first play of the drive.

With 4:38 remaining in the game, Barkley, who nearly had a big play on the previous possession, hammered the Commander's defense once more, hitting the open hole and running up the middle of the field for the 39-yard touchdown to put the Eagles ahead 26-10. 

Barkley achieved the record 10 games into Philadelphia's season, the quickest he has ever done it, and for the fourth time in his career, he surpassed 1,000 running yards in a season while playing in his first season with the Eagles.

 

Daniels connected with tight end Zach Ertz for a five-yard touchdown on the Commanders' final possession, but it was too late for a comeback. As the Commanders lost for the first time this season, Daniels finished with 191 throwing yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

On November 24, the Commanders (7-4) will travel to Dallas to play the Cowboys (3-6), while the Eagles (8-2) will take on the Los Angeles Rams (4-5).