Saquon Barkley scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns in 20 seconds and the Philadelphia Eagles overcame a slow start for a 26-18 win against the visiting Washington Commanders on Thursday night.
Held to three points in the first half, the Eagles (8-2) rallied to win their sixth straight game and strengthened their NFC East lead over the Commanders (7-4).
Jalen Hurts passed for 221 yards and rushed for 39. His 1-yard TD run with 12 minutes left gave Philadelphia its first lead at 12-10, but Jake Elliott missed the extra point after missing two first-half field-goal attempts.
Barkley rushed for 146 yards and went over the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth time in his career. His 23-yard TD run stretched the lead to 19-10 with 4:58 remaining.
Washington’s ensuing possession ended on the first play as Reed Blankenship intercepted Jayden Daniels, just the third pick thrown by the rookie in 11 starts.
Philadelphia capitalized on the game’s only turnover as Barkley broke free for a 39-yard TD run with 4:38 to play.
Daniels finished with 191 yards on 22-of-32 passing plus a late touchdown. Brian Robinson Jr. ran for 63 yards and a TD, and Austin Ekeler caught eight passes for 89 yards.
Zach Ertz, who played for the Eagles from 2013-21, caught a 5-yard TD from Daniels and added a toe-tapping two-point conversion with 28 seconds left in his return to Lincoln Financial Field. That got Washington within eight points, but Philadelphia recovered the onside kick to seal the win.
The teams meet again in Week 16 at Landover, Md.
Washington scored on its second possession, taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard run by Robinson with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
Philadelphia came up empty on its first five drives, including Elliott’s misses of 44 yards in the first quarter and 51 in the second. It was his first game with multiple misses since Week 16 of 2019.
Elliott converted his third try from 21 yards to make it 7-3 with 19 seconds before halftime.
Zane Gonzalez’s 45-yard field goal on the opening drive of the second half put the Commanders up 10-3.
Elliott’s 31-yard field goal made it 10-6 with 5:32 remaining in the third quarter.
