Eagles-Commanders analysis: A.J. Brown and the Birds’ opportunistic defense lead the way to a comeback win
Brown's two-touchdown day made some history, and the defense came up with key stops in the end to thwart the upset-minded Commanders.
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown jumps in the air, celebrating a touchdown in the third quarter against the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
The Eagles pulled off a 38-31 comeback victory against the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field on Sunday, scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter. The offense fumbled away the ball twice, but the Eagles remained resilient and opportunistic on their way to a second consecutive win.
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With their victory over the Commanders, the Eagles moved to 7-1 on the season for the best record in the NFL. They have one more game before the bye week, a home matchup against the Dallas Cowboys.
Here’s our instant analysis:
Brown makes history
A.J. Brown has been on a tear since late September, posting more than 125 receiving yards in each of his previous five games (41 receptions for 701 yards in that span). Going into Sunday, he had become the second NFL player since the 1970 merger to record more than 125 receiving yards in five straight games, joining Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson (2012).
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (left) and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown (right) laugh as they walk off the field after they play the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field Landover, Pa. on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023. Eagles win 38-31.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni greets fans after the Philadelphia Eagles game against the Washington Commanders. The Eagle won 38 to 31.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift knocks over Washington Commanders safety Percy Butler as he runs the ball near the two-minute warning during the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Incomplete pass to Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert in the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick reacts after sacking Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, leading to a fumble in the fourth quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Julio Jones scores in the fourth quarter to give the Philadelphia Eagles the lead against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship and Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay celebrate after Blankenship makes an interception in the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship reacts after making an interception in the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship interception in the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni adjusts his cap at the beginning of the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown celebrate Smith’s touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Washington Commanders fans react after Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas gives them his touchdown ball in the fourth quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts walks off the field after fumbling a quarterback sneak in the third quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown scores a touchdown with Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes looking for a penalty call in the third quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean stop Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. in the third quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell carries for a first down in the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles fans in Washington as the Birds play against the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown jumps in the air, celebrating a touchdown in the third quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick gets to Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell and forces him to throw the ball and Howell gets an intentional grounding call in the third quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles running back D'Andre Swift carries in the third quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown celebrates with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce after a second-quarter touchdown pass with 34 seconds left in the second quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown catches a touchdown pass with 30 seconds left in the second quarter against Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell fights to get out of bounds as Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste tries to keep him in during the second quarter with 1:26 left.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeVonta Smith gets tackled after a reception in the second quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles Nick Sirianni talks to an official after Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell fumbles in the second quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown was tackled by Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes after a reception in the second quarter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Washington Commanders wide receiver Jahan Dotson hops into the stands to celebrate a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Washington Commanders safety Kamren Curl strips the ball from Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell in the second quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis hugs Philadelphia Eagles place kicker Jake Elliott after Elliott’s field goal is good in the first quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer
Washington Commanders tight end Logan Thomas leaps over Philadelphia Eagles cornerback James Bradberry for a first down with fifty-five seconds left in the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Eli Ricks celebrates a stop in play in the first quarter against the Washington Commanders.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee pressures Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Washington Commanders cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields defends Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown on a pass over the middle in the first quarter.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles safety Sydney Brown tackling Washington Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. for a loss.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter tackles Washington Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown in the first quarter. The Commanders' drive ends in a punt.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer
On Sunday, Brown racked up eight more receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Eagles claw their way back into the game. With 34 seconds remaining in the first half, the Eagles down 14-3, Brown made a back-shoulder, one-handed grab in the end zone over cornerback Benjamin St-Juste for a 16-yard touchdown.
But Brown didn’t stop there. In the third quarter, Jalen Hurts connected with Brown for a 25-yard touchdown, this time with cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in coverage. Now, Brown is in sole possession of the record with six straight games of more than 125 receiving yards. But for now, he isn’t spending much time basking in his history-making performances.
“Not yet, ‘cause I’m still working,” Brown said. “I think there will be a time where I sit down and I’ll be like, ‘Go, A.J.’ But it’s not it right now.”
Meanwhile, Hurts finished with a season-high four touchdown passes, completing 29 of 38 passes for 319 yards (ties his season high from Week 4 against the Commanders) and a season-high 135.7 passer rating.
Red-zone roller coaster
The Eagles offense had sputtered in the first two series of the game, punting once and settling for a 51-yard Jake Elliott field goal on the other occasion. On both drives, the Eagles fell short of reaching the red zone.
The offense finally found itself in a goal-to-go situation in the second quarter after Hurts connected with Brown on a 20-yard gain on third-and-11 to the Commanders’ 3-yard line. Hurts handed the ball off to Kenneth Gainwell on the next play, but safety Kam Curl knocked the ball out of Gainwell’s hands to force a fumble, marking Gainwell’s second of the season against the Commanders.
Defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis recovered the ball, but the Eagles defense prevented the Commanders from capitalizing on the turnover. On fourth-and-1 from the Eagles’ 35-yard line, Sam Howell’s pass for wide receiver Terry McLaurin was nearly picked off by cornerback James Bradberry and fell incomplete.
The Eagles’ red-zone issues continued in the third quarter. On first-and-goal from the Commanders’ 1-yard line, the Eagles attempted their signature “tush push,” but Hurts and center Jason Kelce mishandled the snap, resulting in a fumble. Cornerback Kendall Fuller recovered the ball at the line of scrimmage. Again, the defense did its job, forcing the Commanders to punt and preventing them from putting up points off the turnover.
It turned out that the third time was the charm. Safety Reed Blankenship picked off Howell and returned the ball to the Commanders’ 7-yard line. On second-and-8, Hurts found wide receiver Julio Jones for an 8-yard touchdown, marking his first as an Eagle in just his second game since joining the team.
The Eagles ultimately went 2-for-4 in the red zone. This season, they are 16-for-32 in the red zone.
“The turnovers, we’ve got to cut out,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “That’s big right there. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t pretty at all. This is the National Football League. It’s tough to win games. We came into a road game and ended up winning. But we have a lot of work to do to make sure we’re continuing to climb.”
Blankenship, Reddick come up big
After going down in Week 6 against the New York Jets with a rib injury, Blankenship missed last week’s game against the Miami Dolphins. He made his return to action Sunday, starting alongside newly acquired safety Kevin Byard.
Blankenship had an up-and-down day in coverage, which was par for the course for the Eagles’ secondary going up against Howell, who threw for 397 yards and four touchdowns on a career day. The Commanders pulled ahead in the third quarter when Howell connected with tight end Logan Thomas for a short touchdown pass in the middle of the end zone. Blankenship allowed Thomas to gain inside leverage and he couldn’t make a play on the ball.
However, Blankenship responded in a big way. On second-and-15 from the Commanders’ 20-yard line with the score tied at 24, Blankenship intercepted Howell’s pass thrown high for McLaurin. His pick, which set up Jones’ go-ahead touchdown, was his second of the season.
“I was just reading his eyes,” Blankenship said of Howell on the interception. “I saw he was looking backside pretty hard. I tried it and luckily it came up pretty good.”
The Eagles’ defensive front notched its first sack of the day when it mattered most. On fourth-and-5 from the Commanders’ 25-yard line with 2 minutes, 18 seconds remaining, edge rusher Haason Reddick strip-sacked Howell, turning the ball over on downs. Three plays later, D’Andre Swift’s 7-yard touchdown run put the game out of the Commanders’ reach.
Injury report
In the third quarter, defensive tackle Jalen Carter left the game with a back injury. He did not return to the game.
Defensive tackle Milton Williams went back to the locker room with a shoulder injury after the Commanders’ first touchdown drive in the first quarter. But early in the second quarter, Williams returned to the sideline and eventually reentered the game.
Shortly after Williams went back to the locker room, tight end Grant Calcaterra entered concussion protocol. He was ruled out in the third quarter.
The Eagles’ injury issues continued into the second quarter, as right guard Sua Opeta went down while in pass protection on a play that resulted in an Olamide Zaccheaus 5-yard gain. Backup Tyler Steen entered the game in relief of Opeta, who went back to the locker room. However, Opeta returned for the start of the second half.
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