By Brooks Kubena, Ben Standig and RJ Kraft
In a wild game between NFC East rivals, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels sparked a 21-point fourth quarter to lead the Washington Commanders past the Philadelphia Eagles 36-33.
Daniels’ 9-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder with six seconds left put Washington back in front after he had earlier rallied the Commanders back from a 13-point deficit at the start of the quarter.
JAYDEN DANIELS. COMMANDERS TAKE THE LEAD WITH 6 SECONDS.#PHIvsWAS pic.twitter.com/BcKGpEBIsl
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
Washington overcame five turnovers thanks to Daniels’ five touchdown passes (24-of-39 passing for 257 yards) and team-leading 82 rushing yards. Daniels is now one of three rookie quarterbacks (along with Robert Griffin III and Deshaun Watson) to throw at least four TDs and run for at least 65 yards in a game during their freshman seasons in the NFL.
The win puts the Commanders (10-5) in strong position to grab a wild card spot, while also staying alive in the division race.
The Eagles looked to be in control following a Reed Blankenship interception with 3:06 to play. However, a crucial drop on a would-be third-down conversion by wide receiver DeVonta Smith with 2:02 left the door open for Washington and the Commanders capitalized.
Philadelphia lost quarterback Jalen Hurts in the first quarter to a concussion and went with backup Kenny Pickett the rest of the way. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 150 yards and two touchdowns — with 109 of those yards coming in the Eagles’ 21-point first quarter. Barkley leads the league with 1,838 rushing yards and is 267 yards from matching Eric Dickerson’s single-season record of 2,105 rushing yards.
Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected in the second half — following a second unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Washington scored on three of its final four drives after that ejection.
With the loss, Philadelphia (12-3) couldn’t clinch the NFC East and saw its 10-game winning streak snapped. It also hindered its chances at the top seed in the NFC with the Detroit Lions winning to improve to 13-2.
Never doubt Daniels
The Commanders’ offense played with record-setting efficiency early in the season. That was a combination of Daniels’ pin-point passing and minimal turnovers. The unit used a different script against the Eagles.
Five turnovers — six if you count a fourth-down stop on the opening drive — is a crazy number for a team with limited playmakers. Daniels threw interceptions numbers seven and eight, including one with 3:06 remaining that led to another Elliott field goal and a five-point lead.
That’s when Daniels and his limited supporting cast pulled out yet another miracle in his extraordinary season. Receivers Olamide Zaccheaus and Crowder had zero touchdowns entering the game. They combined for four. The win puts Washington on the door step of its first playoff berth since 2020. The win came with far too many mistakes on both sides of the ball, though. The win isn’t the kind fans here are used to. Of course, they never had Daniels at quarterback, either. — Ben Standig, Commanders beat writer
Offense hindered without Hurts
The Eagles’ offense was limited without Hurts. Pickett was spotted good field position entering the game and fed A.J. Brown a 4-yard touchdown pass to go up 14-0 in the first quarter. Barkley’s 68-yard touchdown run extended the lead to 21-7. Thereafter, the Eagles failed to capitalize on blunders committed by the Commanders — scoring just six points off four Washington turnovers from the second quarter on. They settled for two field goals on two second-half drives in which the Commanders spotted them 83 yards in penalty yardage.
Down 28-27 with 5:18 left in the game, Pickett led a 12-play, 34-yard drive in which they converted on two fourth-down opportunities and Jake Elliott made a 50-yard field goal to take a 30-28 lead. Pickett was 14-of-24 passing for 143 yards, a touchdown and an interception. It wasn’t pretty. But the backup’s patchwork play was enough to extend Philadelphia’s win streak to 11 games. A normally reliable Eagles defense failed to protect the lead. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer
Tough day for Lattimore
Marshon Lattimore will have better days. The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback acquired from the Saints at the trade deadline had a quiet debut last week when his former team passed on throwing a single ball his way. Philadelphia had no such qualms. Lattimore’s marquee matchup with Brown was the kind Washington envisioned upon sending three draft picks to New Orleans. Having a cornerback capable of battling one of the league’s top receivers one-on-one was something the defense lacked for several seasons.
After blanketing Brown on his first two targets, Lattimore struggled much of the game. He allowed Brown to break inside for the 4-yard touchdown as the Eagles led 14-0. In the third quarter, Lattimore was called for three pass interference penalties defending Brown. Two flags on the first drive of the second half totaled 61 yards, leading to an Eagles field goal.
To add literal injury to insult, Lattimore went to the sideline with a hamstring injury as the Eagles drove for the go-ahead field goal. On the drive, Brown’s catch-and-run for 15 yards against reserve Benjamin St-Juste on fourth-and-7 moved the chains. Lattimore missed four games after the trade with a lingering hamstring injury, meaning this issue might not be a non-issue going into a must-win game against the Falcons. — Standig
Philly’s defense doesn’t close it out
A recently lights-out Eagles defense failed to protect two leads on Sunday. Of course, without Hurts, the dynamic of the game changed. However, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s unit flopped when supplied with favorable field position. It surrendered touchdowns on an eight-play, 96-yard drive and on a seven-play, 87-yard drive that gave the Commanders a 28-27 lead with 9:06 left in the game.
The Eagles entered the weekend having allowed 10 passes of 30-plus yards in their previous 12 games. They allowed three against the Commanders. They surrendered their initial lead due to confusion. With 12 men on the field, Zaccheaus was left wide open and scored on a 32-yard reception in which Kelee Ringo and Blankenship both missed tackles. Then leading 33-28 with 1:58 left in the game, the Eagles surrendered a nine-play, 57-yard touchdown drive in which Daniels threw a game-winning touchdown to Crowder. — Kubena
Elliott ends slump, but Eagles’ special teams struggle
After missing a 56-yard attempt at the end of the first half, Elliott was 0-for-6 on attempts of 50-plus yards in 2024. He drilled a 50-yard attempt to give the Eagles a 30-28 lead in the fourth quarter and was 4-of-5 on the day on field goals. It was an overall sloppy day for the Eagles special teams unit. Braden Mann was flagged on the opening kickoff for not placing the kick in the landing zone. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was later flagged for unnecessary roughness on a punt coverage play. Coordinator Michael Clay has plenty to clean up late in the season. His unit contributed to the team’s first loss since September. — Kubena
Required reading
- NFL Week 16 scores and live updates: Playoff picture, standings, inactives, predictions, betting odds and more
- Vic Fangio has been a hit in his native Philly with the Eagles. Is this his last stop?
- Commanders’ approach in Eagles rematch: To be the best, you have to beat the best
(Photo: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
