Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders
ESPN
The Eagles extended their NFC East lead, scoring 20 fourth-quarter points to beat the second-place Washington Commanders 26-18 on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, while quarterback Jalen Hurts put Philadelphia ahead with a touchdown run to start the final quarter.
The Commanders’ defense limited explosive Eagles receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for most of the game. But Barkley gashed them as a runner and a receiver, while the Commanders could not match his offensive output against one of the NFL’s top defenses.
Washington has already won three more games than it did all of last season and is ahead of schedule in coach Dan Quinn’s first season. But the Commanders also showed that if they want to win the division, they’ll need more firepower to combat the Eagles’ diverse and explosive attack.
The Commanders averaged at least 5.3 yards per play in each of their first nine games. In the past two weeks they’ve averaged 4.1 and 4.2, respectively. That will need to improve for them to progress past being a pleasant surprise this season.
Troubling trend: The offense was held to fewer than 300 yards for the second consecutive game — albeit against two of the NFL’s top defenses in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Both defenses caused problems for Daniels, but the Eagles also pressured him consistently. Washington converted only 3 of 12 third downs after going 5-14 a week ago.
Mitchell silenced Commanders star receiver Terry McLaurin. The rookie lined up opposite McLaurin on 20 snaps Thursday. He was targeted zero times on those reps. McLaurin’s only two targets (one catch for 10 yards) came against other DBs.
“I knew that I didn’t really get thrown at,” Mitchell said after the win, via the Philly Inquirer.
McLaurin gave the first-year DB the highest compliment possible.
“He’s a good corner,” McLaurin said. “I think he plays well. He doesn’t really play like a rookie.”
Dan Quinn’s odds of winning the coach of the year award got a little longer tonight. Or a lot.
Two major coaching flaws stand out from Thursday night. Both from the fourth quarter.
First, facing fourth and two from the Eagles’ 26 with 8:01 to play and down 12-10, Quinn opted to eschew a potential go-ahead field goal from 44 yards and went for it. It failed.
And so instead of potentially giving the Eagles the ball, down one point with less than eight minutes to play, the Commanders set the stage for a touchdown drive that, with the extra point, made it...
