Bleeding Green Nation
Highlights and lowlights from Philadelphia’s Week 11 win.
The Eagles look an awful lot like they did last season—only in reverse. What started as a struggling team through the first four games looks stronger with each game since.
The Eagles won for the sixth-straight time Thursday night in what was a microcosm of their season—a slow start followed by an irrepressible push towards a 26-18 victory over the visiting Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Eagles are now 8-2 and may arguably be the best team in the NFC, behind only the Detroit Lions. The Eagles now hold a 1.5-game lead over Washington (7-4) in the NFC East and are a half-game behind 8-1 Detroit to control the NFC. Four of the last five Eagles’ games will be home, with Baltimore (at Baltimore on Dec. 1) and Pittsburgh (at home on Dec. 15) currently posing any threats to the rolling Eagles.
This was a benchmark victory for the Eagles. The Eagles beat their first team over .500 since they defeated Green Bay in the season opener.
The defense has only given up six touchdowns in the last six weeks and caused 11 takeaways in the last four games. After rushing for 146 yards and two touchdowns against Washington, Saquon Barkley is outperforming his huge contract, rushing for an average of 131 yards over his last five games, and like the Eagles, only seems to be getting stronger as the season progresses.
Jalen Hurts was an efficient 18 for 28 for 221 yards against Washington and led the Eagles to 20 fourth-quarter points, scoring on each of their fourth-quarter drives. For the fifth time in the last six games, Hurts did not turn the ball over, although, he has now been sacked seven times over the last two games for minus-61 yards.
There was a pile of good, some bad, and some ugly, in the Eagles’ dominant 26-18 victory over the Washington Commanders.
Saquon Barkley’s 39-yard touchdown that sealed the victory with 4:38 to play. It gave Barkley 146 yards rushing on 26 carries and it was his second touchdown. Barkley now has rushed for 1,137 yards and eight touchdowns this season. With seven games to play, Barkley is just 175 yards behind his all-time season best, when he ran for 1,312 yards in 2022 for the New York Giants.
Safety Reed Blankenship’s third interception of the season at the Washington 46 with 4:50 to play. That pretty much wrapped up the game. It was the 11th takeaway in the last four games for the Eagles.
Right tackle Lane Johnson’s kickout block on Washington defensive end Dorance Armstrong, center Cam Jurgens and right guard Mekhi Becton bottling up defensive tackle Daron Payne and linebacker Bobby Wagner inside, opening a clear lane for Barkley to go untouched for a 23-yard touchdown with 4:58 to play.
Linebacker Zack Baun coming up with consecutive plays with eight minutes left to play. First, on third-and-one, Baun teamed with Old Man River...
