In a game that had 5 lead changes, I was feeling pretty good about our prospects when the Redskins in effect scored too fast on their final TD, leaving the Eagles with a little under two minutes and one timeout to work with in order to create a final drive worth 6 points.
Ironically due to a botched FG attempt earlier in the game partly because the Eagles lost their regular long-snapper Jon Dorenbos to a wrist injury, the Eagles might have found themselves in position to kick the winning FG instead of having to go for a touchdown. But there we were—poised to seize the day and the game after Carson Wentz directed his guys deep into Redskins territory with just under 30 seconds left and still with a timeout left.
It’s moments like that which a young QB dreams about. For we fans, it’s moments like that which test our faith in our personnel and our coach’s playbook. We live for the rebirth of a Comeback Kid in this team.
But the Washington defense abruptly came out of its shell coverage and decided to put the pressure clamps on Wentz on the final three plays of the game. The Eagles offensive line in the center and right sides (made up of 2nd and 3rd backups by this point) got bent back and Wentz’ pocket collapsed. Wentz had less than two seconds to react—I was hoping he might sense the pressure breakdowns early enough to roll out of the mess and create something on the fly. Too late. Swarmed under. Game Over.
We squandered some great opportunities earlier in the game (TD punt return called back, wide-open pass on a roll-out underthrown badly by Wentz, an interception thrown into the end-zone which looked hurried and off balance), but physically the Birds held their own with the Redskins well enough most of the way to say we should have been protecting a bigger lead with three minutes to go.
The Redskins ultimately made more big plays than we did. One of the biggest plays was yet another example of former Eagle DeSean Jackson’s burning us badly with a long bomb for a TD. That one hurt. Jackson had an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown midway through the third quarter that helped the Redskins to a narrow 27-22 win.
Jackson beat Leodis McKelvin on that play. McKelvin played well in the flats but couldn’t neutralize Jackson’s deep routes or ball-tracking ability. To be fair, McKelvin’s second-half interception return for a touchdown on which he jumped a sideline route by Jackson gave the home team a big boost. Nolan Carroll was also burned by a touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon in the second half.
It was Chris Thompson’s 25-yard touchdown run with 1:54 remaining which lifted the Washington Redskins to a 27-22 late lead.
The Eagles took a 22-21 lead when Caleb Sturgis hit a 41-yard field goal with 4:59 left after holder Donnie Jones got the high snap from third-string long snapper Trey Burton down in time.
Yeah, it was one of THOSE kinda wild NFC EAST rivalry games.
Carson Wentz drove Philadelphia to the Redskins 14 in the final minute, but Ryan Kerrigan sacked him to force a fumble and seal the win for Washington.
The Redskins (7-5-1) snapped a two-game losing streak and remained in the middle of a jumbled playoff race. The Eagles (5-8) have lost four in a row and eight of 10 after a 3-0 start.
Jackson made a twisting, over-the-shoulder catch and spun away from Leodis McKelvin before slowing down and jogging into the end zone to give the Redskins a 14-13 lead in the third quarter.
McKelvin intercepted Cousins and returned it 29 yards for a TD early in the fourth quarter, but Wentz’s pass to Jordan Matthews was knocked down on the 2-point conversion.
Cousins then connected with Pierre Garcon on a 15-yard TD pass to extend the lead to 21-13.
After Dustin Hopkins hit the left post on a 38-yard try in the first quarter, the Redskins took a 7-6 lead on their next possession. Rob Kelley knocked over a defender at the end of a nifty, 22-yard TD run.
Wentz finished with 314 yards passing and one TD pass. Cousins threw for 234.
Darren Sproles took a hard shot to the head while trying to catch a punt in the fourth quarter and left the game to be treated for a head injury. Washington’s Deshazor Everett ran Sproles over, drawing an unsportsmanlike penalty. Players from both sides immediately started pushing and shoving. Sproles remained down for a couple minutes before walking off.
An illegal block by Zach Ertz negated Sproles’ 72-yard punt return for a score in the third quarter. … The Eagles drove to the Redskins 3 on their second possession in the first quarter before Wentz tossed an interception to Everett on third down.
INJURIES: Eagles’ RG Brandon Brooks was sidelined by an illness for the second time in three games. RT Allen Barbre left with a hamstring injury. … Redskins’ S Su’a Cravens injured his right biceps in the first quarter. LB Will Compton left with a knee injury. RB Mack Brown sustained a concussion.
Final:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WSH | 0 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 27 |
| PHI | 3 | 10 | 0 | 9 | 22 |
| Matchup |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 16 | 24 |
| Passing 1st downs | 10 | 18 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 5 | 5 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 1 | 1 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 2-7 | 9-18 |
| 4th down efficiency | 1-1 | 2-3 |
| Total Plays | 46 | 76 |
| Total Yards | 334 | 383 |
| Total Drives | 11 | 9 |
| Yards per Play | 7.3 | 5.0 |
| Passing | 227 | 288 |
| Comp-Att | 14-21 | 32-46 |
| Yards per pass | 9.9 | 5.8 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 2-7 | 4-26 |
| Rushing | 107 | 95 |
| Rushing Attempts | 23 | 26 |
| Yards per rush | 4.7 | 3.7 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-1 | 1-4 |
| Penalties | 5-86 | 5-54 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 1 |
| Possession | 23:22 | 36:38 |
Philadelphia Passing| C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C. Wentz | 32/46 | 314 | 1 | 1 | 4-26 |
| TEAM | 32/46 | 288 | 1 | 1 | 4-26 |
Philadelphia Rushing| CAR | YDS | TD | LONG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Mathews | 15 | 60 | 0 | 21 |
| D. Sproles | 5 | 27 | 0 | 8 |
| C. Wentz | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| W. Smallwood | 3 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| D. Jones | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM | 26 | 95 | 0 | 21 |
Philadelphia Receiving| REC | YDS | TD | LONG | TGTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Z. Ertz | 10 | 112 | 0 | 29 | 13 |
| J. Matthews | 8 | 79 | 0 | 16 | 10 |
| T. Burton | 7 | 65 | 0 | 16 | 10 |
| N. Agholor | 2 | 22 | 0 | 13 | 4 |
| P. Turner | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| D. Sproles | 2 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| B. Celek | 2 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| R. Mathews | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TEAM | 32 | 314 | 1 | 29 | 46 |
Philadelphia Defense| TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. Logan | 6 | 4 | 0.5 | 0 |
| L. McKelvin | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| F. Cox | 4 | 3 | 1.5 | 1 |
| N. Carroll II | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| R. McLeod | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Hicks | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Graham | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Maragos | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| N. Bradham | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Allen | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Mills | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Tulloch | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Jenkins | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Mathews | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| N. Goode | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Burton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C.J. Smith | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Barwin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| V. Curry | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Means | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Vaeao | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TEAM | 45 | 33 | 2 | 2 |
Philadelphia Interceptions| INT | YDS | TD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| L. McKelvin | 1 | 29 | 1 |
| TEAM | 1 | 29 | 1 |
Washington Passing| C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K. Cousins | 14/21 | 234 | 2 | 1 | 2-7 |
| TEAM | 14/21 | 227 | 2 | 1 | 2-7 |
Washington Rushing| CAR | YDS | TD | LONG | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Kelley | 16 | 63 | 1 | 22 |
| C. Thompson | 3 | 38 | 1 | 25 |
| K. Cousins | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| TEAM | 23 | 107 | 2 | 25 |
Washington Receiving| REC | YDS | TD | LONG | TGTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D. Jackson | 3 | 102 | 1 | 80 | 4 |
| P. Garcon | 5 | 59 | 1 | 16 | 6 |
| J. Crowder | 2 | 37 | 0 | 33 | 5 |
| R. Kelley | 2 | 25 | 0 | 14 | 2 |
| J. Reed | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| V. Davis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| C. Thompson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TEAM | 14 | 234 | 2 | 80 | 21 |
The Eagles are collectively scratching their heads tonight after that one. To a man they played with outstanding effort, even when in certain matchups (like Matt Tobin blocking on Ryan Kerrigan at the end) they were outplayed skill-wise. I saw some stunned looks on the faces of several Eagles as they walked off the field at the end. It was the look that says “I can’t play any harder than that—and it wasn’t enough.”
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