Hogs Haven
Washington Post (paywall)
Marcus Mariota leaves a close game with a hand injury, and Washington can’t keep up in a 29-18 defeat that featured a fourth-quarter brawl.
A hopeful start in a hopeful season had again unraveled for the Washington Commanders by the time the Philadelphia Eagles lined up for a two-point conversion Saturday night.
The visitors had just gone up by three scores late in the fourth quarter. Coach Nick Sirianni decided to go for two anyway. After Saquon Barkley barreled across the goal line, blocks along the line of scrimmage escalated. Shoving and jawing and swinging fists followed. Flags rained. Three players were ejected.
“Eagles versus Commanders, man,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “That’s how it goes.”
The Commanders (4-11) lacked neither fight nor fortune in the first half of the game, forcing a fumble on the opening kickoff and jumping out to a halftime lead. But then the reality of this 2025 season again smacked them in the face.
Marcus Mariota exited Saturday’s game in the third quarter with an injury to his throwing hand. Coach Dan Quinn did not offer an immediate update on Mariota after the game.
Third-stringer Josh Johnson, the only other healthy quarterback on the active roster, entered and threw an interception off his back foot shortly thereafter. Barkley then started rumbling through arm tackles. And for the Commanders, another opportunity — and all that first-half momentum — dissipated.
The Athletic (paywall)
Despite trailing a struggling Washington team at halftime, the Eagles (10-5) now know they will host at least one playoff game. The reigning Super Bowl champions became the first back-to-back NFC East winner since the Eagles ruled the division from 2001-2004. Philadelphia doesn’t yet know its playoff seeding or opponent, but the Eagles are almost certain to be the NFC’s No. 2 or No. 3 seed. The Eagles’ win also eliminated the Dallas Cowboys from playoff contention; Dallas will miss the postseason for the second straight season.
Still, some of Philadelphia’s season-long concerns didn’t go away. The Eagles committed two false starts in tush-push formations, failed to convert on their first four third-down attempts, lost a fumble on a kickoff return and missed two field goals. The Commanders led 10-7 at halftime.
A brutal Commanders season, meanwhile, somehow got worse. Washington (4-11) lost for the ninth time in 10 games and fell to 2-8 in conference games. With Daniels shut down for the season, Mariota started for the eighth time in 2025, but he exited with a hand injury. Washington still led when he left, but the Eagles scored on a 15-yard Jalen Hurts pass to Dallas Goedert and a 12-yard Saquon Barkley run to end the drama.
Washington Post (paywall)
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