It’s not like the Washington Commanders are suddenly good, but they could still be in the playoff race. This is what happens when you play in the NFC East.
The Commanders, who picked up a win as the calendar moved to November, can’t be counted out yet. They improved to 2-4-1 by beating a much more inept Philadelphia Eagles team in a Sunday night game that almost everyone, including presumably Eagles and Commanders fans, wished would have been kept out of prime time. The play was sloppy on both ends, but the Commanders outlasted the Eagles for a 27-10 victory. Jayden Daniels rushed for 217 yards and a touchdown on a night where few players stood out.
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The New York Giants lead the division with a 4-2-1 record, but their success seems tenuous unless JJ McCarthy truly is their answer at quarterback. If the Giants take a step back, the Commanders could be a factor in the division race. The Eagles or Dallas Cowboys certainly don’t appear to pose much of a threat.
This is the 2026 NFC East. The division has seen a steep decline over the past two seasons. This is the worst division in the NFL this season. And we’ll have plenty more opportunities to watch all four teams in popular TV spots for the rest of the season.
Commanders lead by half
It wasn’t a big surprise that two NFC East teams gave everyone a tough first half in prime time.
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The beginning was particularly miserable for the Commanders. There were bad penalties, sloppy mistakes and a fumble by tight end Chig Okonkwo that led to a Saquon Barkley touchdown and the Eagles taking a 10-0 lead.
The Eagles weren’t a good team before the injuries hit, and the injuries hit hard. Jalen Hurts is the main injury but far from the only one. It was surprising to see them take the lead early on, but eventually they faded. The Eagles didn’t score again after that first burst of the first quarter.
The Commanders started later in the first half. When Daniels hit Stefon Diggs for an 8-yard touchdown to tie the game 10-10. The Commanders scored a field goal late in the first half. After a terrible start, Washington still led 13-10 at halftime.
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It wasn’t a pretty game for either side, but at least Washington had the lead.
The Eagles are struggling on offense
The biggest difference in the game was the Commanders pass rush. There was a time, not long ago, when the Eagles offensive line was unquestionably the best in the NFL. It happened. Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson have retired. Respected offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland has resigned. The Philadelphia line is a shell of what it used to be. Tanner McKee was under pressure all night, which made it even more difficult for a young quarterback. The line also couldn’t block anything for Saquon Barkley and the running game, which put even more pressure on McKee.
Give the Eagles credit, or the Commanders discredit, for Philadelphia staying in the game despite its myriad problems. In the fourth quarter, it looked like the Eagles had scored a field goal to cut Washington’s lead to three points. But they were called for an illegal formation because tackle Jordan Mailata lined up too far back, had to kick again and Jake Elliott hit the left post and the attempt was no good. That summed up the Eagles’ night and their season.
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The Commanders then scored a field goal for a 19-10 lead, and an Eagles team that hadn’t scored since the first quarter had to score twice to win. McKee was scratched on fourth-and-25, in case Philadelphia had any hope of a comeback.
Rachaad White then scored a touchdown to make the Eagles’ night even more miserable.
It was not the beautiful football that a large television audience was able to discover on Sunday evening. The Commanders came away with the victory, which hasn’t been easy for them or anyone in the division this season.
Ryan Young
Ryan Young
The Commanders scored 27 unanswered points to pick up their second win of the season. The Eagles, still without quarterback Jalen Hurts, have now lost six games in a row.
Ryan Young
What’s one more? Rachaad White scored from a yard out and the Commanders pushed their lead to 17 points.
Ryan Young
Now we are finished. Tanner McKee threw a ball on fourth-and-long, and Rasul Douglass collected it easily.
Ryan Young
Drew Stevens kicked a 42-yard field goal after Jayden Daniels was fumbled on third down, so the Commanders now have a 9-up lead with 3:43 left.
We’re almost done here.
Ryan Young
The commanders waste no time after this missed basket. They are already in Philadelphia territory and threatening to score.
Ryan Young
Well, that may have cost them the game. The Eagles were rolling on what turned out to be a 15-play drive, but back-to-back penalties and a missed 41-yard field goal absolutely killed their shot to take the lead.
The Commanders now lead 16-10 with 8:58 to play. They have a chance to end this.
Ryan Young
The commanders almost intercepted McKee there after Dallas Goedert rebounded the ball, but it was overturned after a roughing penalty on the passer. The Eagles were lucky.
The Commanders still lead at the end of the third.
Ryan Young
Well, that win only resulted in a field goal for Washington. Daniels threw two incompletions – including one that Okonkwo almost hit in the corner of the end zone – and Austin Eckler was stuffed at the line.
They now lead 16-10 with 1:33 left in the third.
Ryan Young
Treylon Burks easily passed Quinyon Mitchell to land the 53-yard reception, and the Commanders were suddenly in scoring position.
Ryan Young
Tanner McKee has lost football! After a very promising drive, he brought it out from behind in the pocket and the commanders recovered.
What a turning point here at the end of the third quarter. Washington will take over at 40.
Ryan Young
Well, Okonkwo’s take didn’t matter. The Eagles quickly shut down Washington and Jayden Daniels was sacked. easily on the third try.
The Eagles will take over with 6:20 left in the third.
Ryan Young
What a take from Chig Okonkwo! He fought through a holding penalty and somehow managed to grab the ball with one hand. Amazing.
Ryan Young
McKee got the Eagles moving to start the second half, but the drive quickly stalled at midfield. Dallas Goedert was knocked back on a short throw up the middle on second down, then Elijah Mitchell was stuffed at the line on third-and-3.
The commanders will therefore take over at their own 4.
Ryan Young
The Commanders lead by a basket at the break, although Jayden Daniels appears to be struggling after that final drive.
The Eagles will receive the ball to start the third quarter.
Ryan Young
Jayden Daniels had a wide-open Okonkwo on third down, but he sent it over his head while scrambling to avoid the sack.
Drew Stevens instead made a 39-yard shot, giving the Commanders a 13-10 lead with just 19 seconds left in the half.
Ryan Young
Jayden Daniels took a huge shot in the backfield, and it took him a long time to get up. It looks like Daniels was able to get out of it and will stay in the game, but it didn’t look great.
Ryan Young
After two short runs, Tanner McKee almost I put it in there for Lemon on the back left side. But Lemon couldn’t hold on between two defenders, making it a second straight three-and-out.
Washington will take over in midfield after another huge comeback from McCaffrey.
Ryan Young
It looked like Rachaad White had landed first there, but a review determined he was only inches off the line. So instead of pushing him back, the commanders chose to just push him back.
The Eagles will take over with about 90 seconds left before halftime.
Ryan Young
Barkley got stuffed at the line, then a delay of game penalty backed the Eagles up even earlier in this drive.
Tanner McKee then completely missed Mitchell on third down, so they’ll have to punt. Commanders will get the ball back with a perfect opportunity to score points before halftime.
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