The Eagles are in a unique spot in terms of getting ready for the Cowboys this week.
Eagles’ defense picking up the pieces after shocking collapse – Reuben Frank, NBC Sports Philadelphia
Despite forcing five turnovers, the Eagles’ still came up short against Washington.
It had been almost three months since they allowed 20 points in a game.
On Sunday, they allowed 22 points in 13 ½ minutes.
The Eagles’ defense has been playing at such a high level it was hard to imagine this happening.
This being a 4th-quarter collapse the likes of which we’ve rarely seen in Eagles history.
Jayden Daniels and the Commanders came back from 13 points down early in the fourth quarter to beat the Eagles 36-33 and they did it by thrashing the No. 1 defense and No. 1 pass defense in the NFL.
“We know we’ve got to play better,” Nakobe Dean said. “We have to do better. We were doing a lot of uncharacteristic things as far as penalties and certain things that were going on out there. We know we have to play better, but we’re going to use this to build on.
“It’s time to practice what we preach now as far as continuing to get better and the way we handle adversity. This is adversity and how we handle it and how we grow for it and get better from it, it’s going to be a testament to this team, the players and the coaches.”
Daniels threw five touchdown passes against a defense that had allowed eight during the 10-game winning streak. He became the sixth quarterback ever to throw three TD passes against the Eagles in a fourth quarter. He became only the third QB in NFL history with five TD passes and 80 rushing yards in a game. And only the seventh rookie in history to throw five TDs in a game.
The vaunted Eagles defense had no answers.
“They drafted a 5-star quarterback,” Jalen Carter said. “ That boy Jayden, really talented, and he showed it today. He did what he needed to do to get his team a dub.
“We got an L today. They played their ass off and did what they needed to do to win. What we’ve got to do is just move on to next week and focus on the Cowboys.”
If Eagles’ Jalen Hurts can’t play against the Cowboys, what could a Kenny Pickett offense look like – Chris Franklin, NJ.com
It’s unclear which QB the Cowboys will face.
With [Jalen] Hurts in the concussion protocol, there is a chance [Kenny] Pickett could start against the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys if Hurts does not get cleared. If that were to happen, the Eagles will have to make a few adjustments to give him a chance to be successful and help the Eagles clinch the NFC East title.
Pickett, who threw for 143 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, was very frank in his assessment of how he played against the Commanders after the game.
“There are definitely plays that I want back, and I know that we want back as a team,” Pickett said. “You have to give credit to them. They played really hard as well. It came down to the wire but there’s things that changes games long before you get to the end of the game. We have to go back and look at those things and see what we all can improve on and move on.”
Pickett’s athleticism allows the Eagles to keep elements of their offense that has worked this season such as the zone-read and the occasional designed draw. However, with the Cowboys likely to follow the Commanders lead and start to bring players closer to the line of scrimmage to focus on stopping running back Saquon Barkley, Pickett could keep a read or two to keep the defense “honest” and not crash hard when they sell out to limit the run game. This could be complicated because he is dealing with a rib injury that has led to him having X-rays taken after the game and further evaluation Monday.
DeVonta Smith owns up to rare drop that cost Eagles in loss to Commanders: ‘I gotta make the damn play’ – Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports
The star wide receiver had an opportunity to seal the game.
LANDOVER, Md. — DeVonta Smith didn’t need much time to explain what happened. The Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver immediately owned up to a play he makes 99 times out of 100.
“When they put it in my hands,” Smith said. “I gotta make the goddamn play.”
Eagles quarterback Kenny Pickett threw a slant to a wide-open Smith, one of the most reliable pass catchers in the NFL, on third-and-5 from the Commanders 22-yard line. With the Eagles leading, 30-28, and the Commanders having just one timeout and the two-minute warning left to stop the clock, Smith dropped the pass from Pickett that would have given the Eagles a first down.
Philadelphia could have run the clock down to the final seconds, with Washington having just one opportunity to stop it. The Eagles didn’t need to kick a field goal and give the ball back to the Commanders, setting Jayden Daniels up for the game-winning touchdown pass with six seconds left in a 36-33 Washington victory.
Smith took accountability for what transpired. He knows the magnitude of his drop.
“I dropped the ball. I mean, I ain’t going to beat myself up over it,” Smith said. “It’s life, part of the game. Shit, I made all the tough catches today, and the easy one I had, I dropped.
“It is what it is. It (cost) us the game. Ain’t nobody else’s fault but mine.”
Spadaro: 6 takeaways as Eagles’ win streak comes to an end in 36-33 loss to Commanders – Dave Spadaro, PhiladelphiaEagles.com
Neither side of the ball could close the game out for Philadelphia.
LANDOVER, MD – This game had everything an NFC East battle with so much at stake should have. Incredible intensity. High emotions. Big plays. Huge swings in momentum. A final drive with the game on the line.
Unfortunately for the Eagles, the defense couldn’t get that last stop and Washington came from behind to win on Sunday at Northwest Stadium, 36-33, to end the Eagles’ (12-3) winning streak at 10 games.
Here are some observations from the tough loss …
Washington put up points in the second half
The Eagles lost safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was ejected after two unsportsmanlike penalties, and from that point on, the Eagles struggled defensively. Washington scored touchdowns on three of its four possessions after that, driving 61, 87, and 57 yards for scores. Philadelphia took the football away five times in this game and had a fourth-down stop to end another drive, but losing Gardner-Johnson and Slay and edge rusher Josh Sweat for a bit during the game took its toll. Daniels hurt the Eagles with 81 rushing yards on 9 carries, including a 29-yard scramble on a fourth-and-11 in the fourth quarter that led to a touchdown and really brought Washington back into the game.
“This is one game. Everything’s still in front of us, our hopes. and everything we need to do. So, nobody should be down in this room. That’s the main thing we make sure we make sure we preach to everybody. I know everybody don’t like to lose and this and that and the third, but hey, thankfully this game wasn’t a playoff game, and we have to just address a lot of issues. We have a chance to come out here next week, defend home, and go out there and execute,” Slay said.
Kenny Pickett replaces Jalen Hurts
Hurts ran on a second-and-20 play from the Washington 34-yard line and then hit the ground to avoid the defense. But Washington’s Frankie Luvu hit Hurts from the side and the officials took Hurts off the field for evaluation. On third-and-7, Kenny Pickett entered the game and it would have been safe to assume that he would hand off and see what happened. Instead, Pickett threw complete for A.J. Brown for 10 yards and a first down. Then, on a second-and-9 from the 10, Pickett rolled left and threw complete for Brown for 6 yards. On third-and-3 from the 4, Pickett threw to the right side and completed a pass to Brown, running a slant, for the touchdown, and the Eagles led, 14-0, after Jake Elliott’s extra point. Pickett, 3-of-3 for 20 yards and a touchdown on the drive, entered the game having completed 1-of-3 passes for 5 yards this season.
But Pickett faced intense pressure after that and the Eagles struggled to put the football in the end zone. The Eagles were just 3-of-16 on third downs and 2-of-4 in the red zone. After a hot early start, Barkley was held in check – he had 41 yards on 22 carries after the first quarter. Losing Hurts was a setback for the offense, and so were 10 penalties for 91 lost yards, allowing big plays on defense, giving up some kickoff returns, and not closing in the fourth quarter when the Eagles had the chance.
