The only good thing you can say about the way this game went for the Eagles is that nobody got booed. Not having fans physically in the stadium was the only reason for that, as Philly fans usually show up en masse for road games in Landover.
The Birds got off to a good start considering many of their best players were out with injury— including late scratches Lane Johnson (RT) and Miles Sanders (RB).
Ultimately though they were done in by defensive adjustments made by Washington which sent free rushers aimed at Carson Wentz in the pocket. Blockers weren’t getting beat so much as they were never there.
Peyton Barber ran for two touchdowns and Dwayne Haskins rallied Washington from a 17-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-17 Sunday in coach Ron Rivera’s Washington debut.
Rivera went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 5 with the score tied midway through the fourth quarter. Barber ran for the first down and then scored from the 3 to give Washington a 24-17 lead.
Zach Ertz dropped a pass on fourth-and-3 from the Eagles 42 on the ensuing drive and Dustin Hopkins kicked a 40-yard field goal to make it 27-17.
Wentz was sacked eight times and threw two costly interceptions behind an injury-depleted offense line featuring two guys — right tackle Jack Driscoll and right guard Nate Herbig — starting their first career games.
Wentz’s pass for Jalen Reagor late in the second quarter was underthrown and picked by Fabian Moreau at the Philadelphia 45. Haskins then connected on four straight passes after starting 3 of 12. He hit Logan Thomas for a 6-yard TD toss to cut the deficit to 17-7.
Then, Jimmy Moreland stepped in front of Wentz’s pass to John Hightower and returned it 32 yards to the Eagles 20. Barber needed two tries from the 1 before running in for a score that cut it to 17-14.
After Washington’s fifth sack pushed Philadelphia back, Jake Elliott was short on a 53-yard field goal.
The Eagles went for it on a fourth-and-4 from the Washington 45, but Jon Bostic sacked Wentz on a blitz up the middle. That turned into a 38-yard field goal by Hopkins that tied it at 17 early in the fourth quarter.
Washington’s defensive line had its way against Philadelphia’s depleted line, missing three-time Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson and three-time Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Brooks. Ryan Kerrigan led the way with two sacks and No. 2 overall pick Chase Young got one.
Wentz threw a 6-yard TD pass to Ertz and a perfect 34-yard toss to Dallas Goedert in the first half. Eagles rookie WR Jalen Reagor made a 55-yard, over-the-shoulder catch for his first career reception on third-and-22. After that hot start, it all went downhill for the Birds in an ugly way.
INJURIES:
Eagles: Johnson (ankle), RB Miles Sanders (hamstring) DE Derek Barnett (hamstring) and DT Javon Hargrave (pectoral, hamstring) were among the inactive starters. … Curry (hamstring) left in the fourth quarter. … DE Brandon Graham was evaluated for a head injury. … Driscoll left in the fourth quarter with severe muscle cramping.
Washington: LB Cole Holcomb (knee) left in the second quarter before returning in the second half.
| Matchup |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 19 | 18 |
| Passing 1st downs | 13 | 11 |
| Rushing 1st downs | 3 | 5 |
| 1st downs from penalties | 3 | 2 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 5-14 | 5-18 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0-2 | 1-2 |
| Total Plays | 67 | 70 |
| Total Yards | 265 | 239 |
| Total Drives | 15 | 15 |
| Yards per Play | 4.0 | 3.4 |
| Passing | 208 | 159 |
| Comp-Att | 24-42 | 17-31 |
| Yards per pass | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Sacks-Yards Lost | 8-62 | 3-19 |
| Rushing | 57 | 80 |
| Rushing Attempts | 17 | 36 |
| Yards per rush | 3.4 | 2.2 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 1-2 | 3-4 |
| Penalties | 3-20 | 7-55 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 1 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 0 |
| Defensive / Special Teams TDs | 0 | 0 |
| Possession | 30:39 | 29:21 |
Philly ran out of gas and mounted few counter-adjustments. The coaching and quarterbacking will be taking a lot of heat from the fans and media this week. Some of the heat will be justified. Some of it will be just overreaction to the fact this team was not healthy or prepared enough to compete for 60 minutes in its season debut. There is no need for wholesale changes, but there is great need for massive improvement in the overall game plan.
Game Leaders
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