The Commanders hung around with the Eagles for much of Sunday afternoon. But Philadelphia got some separation in the fourth quarter to defeat the division rival 38-31 in Week 8.
Washington quarterback Sam Howell was terrific for the first three quarters. But in the fourth, Howell threw an interception to safety Reed Blankenship that set up a Philadelphia touchdown. Then his fourth-and-8 pass to Terry McLaurin was low and incomplete for a turnover on downs. And with Washington down seven, Howell was strip-sacked on fourth down deep in his own territory.
Though Howell came in with a league-high 40 sacks taken, that was the one and only sack he took.
The Eagles let the Commanders have one more chance when D’Andre Swift scored a touchdown instead of going down before reaching the end zone. That play was after the two-minute warning and Washington had no more timeouts, but it put Philadelphia up by an insurmountable 14.
Though Howell hit Jamison Crowder for a 26-yard touchdown to give Washington 31 points, the club wasn’t close to recovering the ensuing onside kick. And Philadelphia came away with the win.
Jalen Hurts finished 29-of-38 for 319 yards with four touchdowns. A.J. Brown became the first receiver in league history to have at least 125 yards in six straight games, finishing with eight catches for 130 yards with two TDs. DeVonta Smith also had seven catches for 99 yards with a touchdown.
Howell was excellent for most of the game, starting the contest 10-of-10 for 83 yards with a TD. He was 24-of-26 for 226 yards with two TDs at halftime.
But he finished 39-of-52 for 397 yards with four touchdowns, an interception, and a fumble lost.
Now at 7-1, the Eagles will host the Cowboys next weekend for a big divisional matchup.
The Commanders are now 3-5, having lost five of their last six after starting the year 2-0. They will be at New England next week.