Eagles rally to beat Commanders for a crucial win, 26 to 18

The Philadelphia Eagles are 8-2 after beating the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday night! Final score: 28 to 16.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: the Eagles got off to a slow start in this one. The combination of Jalen Hurts’ passing struggles, two missed Jake Elliott field goals, and Nick Sirianni fourth down cowardice contributed to the Birds scoring just three points in the first half.

But Vic Fangio’s defense very much kept the Eagles in the game. His unit largely stifled rookie sensation Jayden Daniels, who went 22/32 for 191 yards (6.0 average), 1 TD, 1 INT, and a 81.6 passer rating … plus just 18 rushing yards on seven carries. And some of that production — including Daniels’ sole TD pass — came in garbage time.

The Eagles’ offense woke up in the second half with Saquon Barkley doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Barkley finished the night with 26 carries that went for 146 yards and two touchdowns. And he was half of a yard short from another score where he got vultured by the Brotherly Shove.

This was an absolutely crucial win for the Eagles, as outlined below:

The importance of tonight’s game for the Eagles:

They enter with 63% chance to win NFC East, per ESPN Analytics.

It increases to 81% with win. Drops to 38% with loss.

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) November 14, 2024

The Birds have a 1.5-game lead in the NFC East and there’s potential for them to secure a valuable head-to-head tiebreaker over Washington if they can beat the Commanders again at FedEx Field in Week 16.

Next up for the Eagles: a mini-bye with this weekend off and then a road game against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.

Read on for a recap and stay tuned for BGN’s postgame coverage.

FIRST QUARTER
The Commanders won the coin toss and elected to defer, putting the Eagles on offense first. The first play from scrimmage was a Jalen Hurts throw to Jahan Dotson, a designed touch that gained eight yards. Pretty on the nose to get him involved early against his former team! Facing 3rd-and-2, Saquon Barkley’s first carry resulted in a run up the middle for a first down. Landon Dickerson got hurt on the play, making way for Tyler Steen to take over at left guard. Facing 3rd-and-6 after a Hurts throwaway, Hurts to A.J. Brown resulted in a first down just beyond the marker. Hurts went right back to Brown on a slant for a 25-yard gain just outside of the red zone. Barkley got tackled for a loss and then Mekhi Becton got called for holding on a play where there was instant pressure on Hurts. Looked like Hurts could’ve gotten it out earlier there to a wide open Ainias Smith, which could’ve prevented a loss on that play. Facing 3rd-and-22 after another Hurts throwaway, the Eagles ran a coward’s draw to Kenny Gainwell. Why give up there? Jake Elliott’s 44-yard field goal was no good, wide left. Just missed it. Not good!

Jake Elliott is now 12-of-16 on FG attempts this season. That 44-yarder is the first he’s missed this season in that range. He was 5-of-5 from 40-49 yards entering tonight.

— Brooks Kubena (@BKubena) November 15, 2024

Jake Elliott has now missed four field goals, his most since 2020 and one shy of his career-high.

He’s been pretty automatic in his career, but just hasn’t been the same in 2024.

— Tucker Bagley (@TBagleySports) November 15, 2024

The Commanders took over at their own 34-yard line. Facing 3rd-and-4, Jayden Daniels’ pass over the middle was deflected incomplete by — who else — Zack Baun. Stud. Good response by Vic Fangio’s defense to force the three-and-out.
The Eagles took over at their own 9-yard line after a Cooper DeJean fair catch. Barkley took a carry to go over the 1,000-yard mark on the season. Facing 3rd-and-1, the Eagles went with their first Brotherly Shove attempt of the game for a first down. Facing 3rd-and-8, Hurts tried to step up and take off running for a first down but got caught from behind for a sack. Three-and-out.

Jalen Hurts had DeVonta Smith for the 1st down and turned it down. It also looked like there was a big lane to run, but regardless the ball needs to be out to your WR here.

pic.twitter.com/7UHbMQNH45

— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) November 15, 2024

The Commanders took over at their own 42-yard line after a bad Braden Mann punt that bounced back towards the Eagles for just 38 yards. Austin Ekeler took a swing pass for a 34-yard gain after Baun couldn’t get him down in space. Brian Robinson Jr. ran through Baun’s contact to get to the 1-yard line. Then he took another carry into a pile that got pushed into the end zone for the game’s first score. Not enough resistance on a 4-play, 58-yard drive that only lasted 1:59. EAGLES 0, COMMANDERS 7.

Commanders had success with 21 personnel on their second drive. Eagles are trying to send DeJean off the edge, ball gets sent back inside, and Robinson is able to get yards after contact pic.twitter.com/XAeDh7YTUq

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) November 15, 2024

With help from good blocking, Will Shipley took a kick return 32 yards to set the Eagles up at their own 35-yard line. Hurts held the ball for forever and threw late to DeVonta Smith, who failed to make a sideline grab by dropping the pass. Facing 3rd-and-4, Hurts targeted Dotson beyond the marker and the former Commanders receiver failed to catch the pass as Mike Sainristil had tight coverage. Three-and-out.

The Commanders took over at their own 6-yard line after an illegal block in the back penalty. Darius Slay came up to tackle Ekeler on a short catch for a 3-yard loss. Facing 3rd-and-6, Daniels took off running with room to spare but Nakobe Dean made a good open field tackle to force a punt. Thought that was gonna be a first down for sure when Daniels started to climb the pocket.

The Eagles took over at the plus 48-yard line after a dangerous but effective 8-yard return from DeJean. A Barkley run for seven yards brought up the end of the first quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
The Eagles went with two more Barkley runs for a first down. The Eagles tried to go with some trickeration that resulted in Hurts being sacked for a 13-yard loss. Facing 3rd-and-17 after a Gainwell checkdown, Hurts checked down to Dallas Goedert to set up a 51-yard field goal attempt … which he missed by hooking the kick. 0/2 on the night. Real bad stuff.

Who broke Jake Elliott? Two misses in a game for the #Eagles’ kicker for the first time since Week 16, 2019.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 15, 2024

The Commanders took over at their own 41-yard line. Brandon Graham and Baun combined to sack Daniels. Then Josh Sweat got to Daniels to bring up third down. Facing 3rd-and-22, the Commanders went with their own coward’s draw. Three-and-out.

The Eagles took over at their own 26-yard line after just a 39-yard punt by Tress Way. Facing 3rd-and-4, Hurts held onto the ball for forever again and ended up throwing short of an open A.J. Brown. Had room to run if he made a quicker decision to do that. Three-and-out.

I’m not trying to be overly critical of Hurts tonight. But this is a big part of his problem. Look at the pocket when he bails backwards. It’s clean. He was forced to throw off his back foot and miss a wide open Brown for a first down. He has to clean this up— can he? pic.twitter.com/0mPzX0hvLl

— Patrick (@PhillyPMC) November 15, 2024

Sydney Brown had a good tackle on punt coverage and the Commanders took over at their own 27-yard line. The Commanders pounded the rock to move just shy of midfield. Facing 3rd-and-3, Daniels hit old friend Zach Ertz for a first down. Daniels had a really bad miss on a play where he had plenty of time to throw but missed his open target low. Facing 3rd-and-9, the Eagles brought a blitz and the Commanders picked it up well but Daniels’ pass was deflected by Dean and then dropped by Ekeler.
The Eagles took over at their own 10-yard line with 4:11 remaining in the second quarter after a DeJean fair catch. The Eagles slowly but surely drove to their own 48-yard line to hit the two-minute warning. Hurts threw his best pass of the game by ripping it to DeVonta in a tight window for a catch-and-run gain of 21 yards. A.J. Brown drew an illegal contact penalty for another Eagles first down to also stop the clock at 0:58. The Commanders took their first timeout after a short Barkley run at 0:53. Sainristil broke up a Hurts pass to a leaping DeVonta in the end zone. Facing 3rd-and-8, Hurts took off running out of bounds beyond the marker to bring up goal-to-go from the 9-yard line. Hurts took a designed run to break a tackle for five yards and Nick Sirianni called the Eagles’ first timeout at 0:33. Barkley took a carry for one yard and Sirianni took the Eagles’ second timeout at 0:28. Facing 3rd-and-goal, Hurts got pressured into an incompletion. Sirianni decided to be a coward on fourth down and kick a field goal, which Elliott made this time from 21 yards out. Tough to only get three from a 15-play, 87-yard drive. EAGLES 3, COMAMNDERS 7.

The Commanders took over at their own 30-yard line with 0:19 left and two timeouts to work with. A short dump off to Ekeler resulted in an 18-yard gain. The Commanders called their second timeout at 0:12. Daniels completed a pass to get the Commanders to the plus 40-yard line. Upon review, the ball hit the ground and was incomplete. The Commanders then decided to run the first half out.

THIRD QUARTER
The Commanders took over at their own 31-yard line after Washington was able to recover a Jalyx Hunt forced fumble on the kickoff. Jalen Carter had a nice TFL for a 3-yard loss to bring up third down. Facing 3rd-and-5, Daniels’ throw was behind his target but Cooper DeJean got called for a pretty weak pass interference. Another big catch-and-run by Ekeler moved the Commanders into field goal range. Graham and Milton Williams both got to Daniels in the backfield on a designed run for a TFL. Facing 3rd-and-4, Daniels’ pass was off target and incomplete. Zane Gonzalez came in a 40-yard field goal attempt, which he made. But then a delay of game penalty knocked it back to a 45-yard kick, which he also made. EAGLES 3, COMMANDERS 10.

The Eagles took over at their own 13-yard line after a nice kick return Gainwell was called back for a penalty on Sydney Brown. The Eagles’ first play after Hurts was evaluated for a concussion was a designed QB run … interesting choice! Facing 3rd-and-2, Hurts hit a crossing Goedert for a catch-and-run gain of 15 yards. Facing 3rd-and-6 after two short Barkley runs, Hurts dumped off to Barkley and he broke through a weak arm tackle to break a big gain to the plus 17-yard line. Facing 3rd-and-6, Hurts had a clean pocket but sailed a fade throw to Brown to not even give the WR a chance to make a play against tight coverage. Sirianni opted for the 31-yard field goal attempt. Probably not great that the huddle was broken with six seconds remaining on the play clock there. EAGLES 6, COMMANDERS 10.

The Commanders took over at their own 30-yard line. Facing 3rd-and-5, Nolan Smith got to Daniels to force a punt. Smith certainly looks better than he did as a rookie.

Nolan Smith comes up with a big sack to force a Commanders punt.

Smith up to 3.5 sacks in 10 games this season after only having 1 in 17 last year. #Eagles

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 15, 2024

The Eagles took over at their own 25-yard line after a 12-yard return by DeJean. Hurts had A.J. open the middle, didn’t see him, rolled left, finally saw him, and finally hit him for a 17-yard gain. DeVonta made a short catch and the refs originally threw a flag for a facemask penalty … before picking it up. A Barkley run for a loss brought up the end of the third quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER
Facing 3rd-and-8, Hurts took off running and dived for a first down. The ref originally ruled it short … but replay assist rightfully turned it into a first down since Hurts’ knee didn’t go down before he lunged the ball over the line. Gainwell took a carry for 14 yards and then another for 13 yards to just outside the 10-yard line. Another Gainwell carry got the Eagles to the 4-yard line. Barkley took a carry to the 1-yard line for a first down, originally looked like he got into the end zone but he was ruled short. Then a Brotherly Shove for a touchdown. Jake Elliott missed the extra point. What the hell, man? EAGLES 12, COMMANDERS 10.

The #Eagles have recorded 150+ rushing yards in five consecutive games, tying for the 4th-longest streak in single-season franchise history, behind 2021 (seven), 1949 (seven) and 1990 (six).

— John Gonoude (@john_gonoude) November 15, 2024

Jalen Hurts has logged 1+ rushing TD in five consecutive games, tying LeSean McCoy (2011) and Michael Vick (2010) for the 2nd-longest streak in #Eagles history, trailing only Ricky Watters’ six-game stretch during the 1995 season.

— John Gonoude (@john_gonoude) November 15, 2024

The Commanders took over at their own 29-yard line. They moved past midfield with a nice Daniels strike to Ertz. Another good ball to Terry McLaurin, his first of the game with 10:20 remaining, went for another first down. Carter, a disruptive beast, stopped Robinson for no gain to a force third down. Facing 3rd-and-1, Robinson got stuffed by Graham and Baun for a loss. Facing 4th-and-2, Carter almost got to Daniels instantly but the quarterback dodged him and took off running to get laid out by — who else — Baun for no gain and a turnover on downs! PAY THE MAN.

The Eagles took over at their own 26-yard line with 7:55 remaining in the game. Goedert caught a wide open pass and took off running to get stripped from behind … but very fortunately bailed out by a Grant Calcaterra recovery. Amazing hustle from the backup tight end there. Ultimately a 31-yard gain. Facing 3rd-and-3, Barkley went untouched on a run to the end zone! Elliott made the extra point this time despite a bad snap from Rick Lovato that required Braden Mann to re-adjust the hold. Two-score lead with 4:58 left in the game after going 74 yards on five plays. EAGLES 19, COMMANDERS 10.

Saquon Barkley has 100 rushing yards in this one.

He has 100+ in 6 of 10 games this season.

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) November 15, 2024

The Commanders took over at their own 30-yard line. Daniels instantly got picked off by Reed Blankenship! Just Daniels’ third interception thrown this season.

Ed Reed Blankenship with his 3rd interception this season in 10 games played.

Blankenship ties his career high with 3 INTs in 15 games played in 2022. #Eagles

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) November 15, 2024

The Eagles took over at the plus 46-yard line with 4:50 left. Barkley took a carry for seven yards and the Commanders called their first timeout. Then Barkley broke a 39-yard run to the end zone! HE’S UNSTOPPABLE. Don’t like the decision by Sirianni to not go for two to make it a three-possession game but at least Elliott made his extra point kick. EAGLES 26, COMMANDERS 10.

Saquon Barkley reached a top speed of 20.78 mph on his 23-yard TD run, his fifth run of the season over 20 mph, most in the NFL.

Barkley also leads the NFL in explosive runs (10+ yards) in the second half of games this season (16).

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 15, 2024

The Commanders took over at their own 30-yard line with 4:38 left and two timeouts to work with. Moro Ojomo got flagged for hitting Daniels in the face with his hand for a roughing the passer penalty. The Commanders had a run that got stuffed for a loss to bring up third down. Facing 3rd-and-5, Jeremy McNichols ran for three yards to bring up the two-minute warning. Facing 4th-and-3, Daniels completed a pass to Ertz at the marker for a first down. Inexplicably taking their sweet ass time, the Commanders got to the 5-yard line with 0:31 remaining with C.J. Gardner-Johnson breaking up a pass. Then Daniels hit Ertz for a touchdown. The Commanders lined up for a two-point conversion and the Eagles took their first timeout to get a look at Washington’s formation. The Commanders’ two-point attempt featured Daniels running around, avoiding sacks, and firing a pass to Ertz in the back of the end zone … for an incompletion. Game. Or not. Review ruled that Ertz got both feet in for the successful try. EAGLES 26, COMMANDERS 18.

The Commanders lined up for an onside kick … and the Eagles took their second timeout to get a look at their formation. The Commanders’ onside kick was easily recovered by Goedert to seal the game.
Victory formation!

FINAL SCORE: EAGLES 26, COMMANDERS 18

EAGLES LINEUP NOTES
N/A

EAGLES INJURY NEWS

Landon Dickerson got banged up on the third play of the game. Tyler Steen entered the game at left guard. Dickerson re-entered the game on the Eagles’ second drive.
Jalen Hurts (concussion) was a little slow to get up after getting sacked early in the second quarter. He remained in the game. Hurts entered the medical tent late in the second quarter. Before the third quarter, Hurts jogged back on the field without a helmet and put his coat on while Kenny Pickett did some warmup throws. But then it was announced Hurts was cleared to return to the game.

Bryce Huff visited the medical tent later in the second quarter.
Milton Williams (foot) was ruled questionable to return.