It wasn’t pretty — at times it was downright ugly. But the Commanders did enough to earn a 27-10 win against the Eagles on Sunday night.
Trailing 10-0 in the first quarter, it looked like Washington was well on its way to another demoralizing loss in a season full of them. But the defense stepped up, holding Philadelphia scoreless for the final three quarters and giving the Commanders’ offense time to find a rhythm.
“There is an energy that comes from adversity that can be constructive or it can be destructive — for us it was constructive,” coach Dan Quinn said. "[We decided] we were going to go fight, we were going to go battle.”
Without the services of defensive tackles Daron Payne (leg) and Javon Kinlaw (knee), Washington allowed points on two of the first three drives of the game but shut Philadelphia down the rest of the way. The Commanders sacked Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee, filling in for Jalen Hurts, four times and forced a fumble. Corner Rasul Douglas nabbed an interception late in the fourth quarter to ice the game.
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The run defense — one of the team’s few bright spots this season — limited Eagles rushers to 91 yards on 29 carries. Saquon Barkley finished with just 54 total yards.
“We’re looking for all four [quarters],” Quinn said. “We’re getting closer, but we’re not there yet.”
On offense, Jayden Daniels wasn’t efficient through the air (16 of 29 for 217 yards) but he threw a touchdown and went another game without an interception. The run game was missing starter Bill Croskey-Merritt for a second straight contest, but still managed to rack up 135 yards. Rachaad White had 11 carries for 55 yards and Austin Ekeler finished with 8 carries for 36.
Rookie receiver Antonio Wlliams, who Quinn said would see a bigger role after the season-ending injury to Terry McLaurin, was a steadying presence for Washington with five receptions for 54 yards.
“At some point you just have to hold yourself accountable,” Williams said of the team’s turnaround after the first quarter. “It comes from within.”
Treylon Burks had a 53-yard reception that set up a field goal late in the third quarter. He led all receivers with 81 yards on the night.
Drew Stevens kicked four field goals, including a 56-yarder late in the first quarter. Daniels connected with Stefon Diggs for an 8-yard touchdown in the second quarter that tied the game at 10. On Washington’s final drive of the first half, Daniels took a hard hit and was slow to get to his feet, but he stayed in the game.
The win, Washington’s first since Week 3, moves the team to 2-4-1 and third place in the NFC East. The Cowboys (3-5) lost to the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon, keeping the divisional race close behind the first-place Giants. Washington faces the Rams (4-4) next week at home.
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