The Eagles had plenty of chances, but they were plagued by four turnovers in a 32-21 loss to the Washington Commanders on Monday night. The Eagles are 8-1, and their NFC East advantage has shrunk to one game. Meanwhile, the Commanders are still in the hunt with a 5-5 record.
The Washington offence controlled the game with the running attack, holding possession for 40:24 and converting 12 third-down situations as the Commanders forced four turnovers.
Jalen Hurts completed 17 of 26 pass attempts for 175 yards, two touchdowns, an interception, and a passer rating of 94.2. Hurts also scored on the ground in the first quarter. Miles Sanders, the running back, got 54 yards on 12 carries.
Quez Watkins had 80 yards receiving but lost a key fumble in the fourth quarter on a 50-yard reception.
Below is a full game recap.
THE FIRST QUARTER
The defence was on the verge of a three-and-out, but on fourth down, safety Reed Blankenship drilled punter Tress Way and was flagged for roughing the punter.
It had no effect on the Commanders. On the next play, defensive end Josh Sweat stripped quarterback Taylor Heinicke of the ball, which was recovered by defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu at the Washington 18-yard line.
The Eagles took advantage of the fumble swiftly, scoring on three consecutive running plays. Quarterback Jalen Hurts gained 12 yards on a QB keeper, then slipped the ball in from 1 yard out for the game’s first scores, making it 7-0 with 12:21 gone in the first quarter.
For those keeping score at home, the Eagles lead the NFL with seven strip-sacks this season. Following the touchdown, the Eagles have scored 67 points off turnovers, which is second in the NFL.
The Commanders answered with a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive capped by Antonio Gibson’s 1-yard scoring run. Washington converted three third-down opportunities, the latest of which was a 26-yard crossing route ball from Heinicke to wide receiver Terry McLaurin. With five minutes left in the first quarter, the score is 7-7.
The Eagles scored twice on two drives. Hurts was threading short darts to A.J. Brown, Jack Stoll, and Zach Pascal to move the chains. But it was DeVonta Smith who made the game-changing plays. Smith used a wide receiver screen to convert a third-and-10 to the Washington 33-yard line.
The ball was then moved to the 6-yard line after Smtih got a pass interference call on Benjamin St-Juste. Hurts concluded the drive by faking a QB draw and passing over the middle to tight end Dallas Goedert to make it 14-7 with 1:30 left in the first quarter.
THE SECOND QUARTER
A 44-yard Joey Slye field goal cut the Eagles’ lead in half, but only after a peculiar turn of events. Running back Brian Robinson Jr. was stopped on 3rd-and-1 from the Eagles’ 22 by defensive end Brandon Graham and linebacker T.J. Edwards.
The Commanders appeared to go for it on fourth-and-1, even snapping the ball to wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who was crossing the formation, but Washington was called for a delay of game penalty.
Josh Sweat, a defensive end, left the game during the Commanders’ field goal drive.
Hurts intercepts his third pass of the season. Darrick Forrest, who was in double coverage for Brown, intercepted the pass at the Washington 14-yard line.
The ball was properly placed in Brown’s arms, according to the replay, but Forrest snatched it out.
Sweat returned to the field for the Eagles, but the Commanders took a 17-14 lead with a touchdown drive. Washington covered 86 yards in 16 plays, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by Robinson. When Samuel took a handoff on a jet sweep for a 1-yard gain, Washington converted three third downs and a fourth down. The Commanders convert 8-of-11 third downs and 1-of-1 fourth downs. The Eagles will regain possession with 1:39 remaining in the first half. Washington has a 22:43 to 5:38 advantage in time of possession.
On offence, the Eagles soon go three and out. Kenneth Gainwell dropped the ball on first down, came up with a 5-yard reception down the left sideline on second down, and Hurts’ pass to Brown was incomplete on third down when the wide receiver slipped.
The Eagles will trail in the second half for the first time this season. As the second quarter came to a close, the Commanders added a 58-yard Slye field goal to take a 20-14 advantage into the half. The Commanders were in scoring position after Heinicke’s 15-yard pass to wide receiver Dyami Brown. The Eagles will take the field to begin the second half.
THE THIRD QUARTER
To begin the second half, the offence went three-and-out. Kendall Fuller, a cornerback, intercepted a pass intended for A.J. Brown on third-and-four.
Despite strong coverage by Darius Slay, Heinicke sailed over the top to McLaurin down the right sideline for a 41-yard gain after the Commanders grinded out a pair of first downs, converting two 3rd-and-1 situations. The Eagles restrict the Commanders to another Slye field goal after Javon Hargrave sacks Heinicke on third-and-goal from the 3. With 5:13 remaining in the third quarter, the score is 23-14.
THE FOURTH QUARTER
DeVonta Smith scored an 11-yard touchdown reception on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut the Commanders’ lead to 23-21 with 14:54 remaining. The Eagles started the drive on the ground, getting their first first down since the second quarter on three Miles Sanders runs. Hurts connected with wide receiver Quez Watkins for a 16-yard gain over the middle, and Goedert added a 15-yard reception to put the Eagles in scoring position.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson intercepted a deep pass intended for McLaurin for the Eagles’ sixth interception of the season. Gardner-Johnson was flagged for unnecessary roughness earlier in the drive with a late hit out of bounds, but he more than made up for it. With 12:24 remaining in the game, the Eagles take over at their own 7-yard line. The Commanders had scored on all five of their previous drives.
A turnover by Dallas Goedert gave the Commanders the ball back. Jamin Davis, a linebacker, should have been called for a facemask penalty. Defensive tackle John Ridgeway batted the ball out as Goedert was falling to the ground. Davis recovered the fumble at the Eagles’ 34-yard line after the penalty was missed.
After the fumble, Slye scored a 55-yard field goal to push the Commanders’ advantage to 26-21 with 7:33 remaining.
Another spectacular play, this time by Quez Watkins, appeared to put the Eagles in scoring position. He gained 51 yards on a deep post, fell to the ground, got up, and St-Juste snatched the ball from him. Forrest recovered and returned it for a 12-yard gain. The Eagles have three turnovers tonight and two in the fourth quarter after committing just three in the first eight games.
With 3:26 remaining, the Eagles had a shot, but went three-and-out when Montez Sweat sacked Hurts on third down. The ball was punted away by the Eagles. There is 1:54 left in the game after using all three timeouts. Washington will assume command at its own 47.
When Heinicke couldn’t find an open receiver on third down, he took a knee. Brandon Graham, in pursuit, ran him over and was cited for unnecessary roughness, allowing the drive to continue and the game to end.
