Sunday’s game turned into a duel between two young quarterbacks. Nick Foles ultimately got the better of Kirk Cousins, and the Philadelphia Eagles went on to beat Washington, 37-34, in a thriller.
Washington vs. Eagles final score: 3 things we learned in Philadelphia’s thrilling win
Nick Foles came alive Sunday, outdueling Kirk Cousins to help Philadelphia to a 37-34 win over Washington.
Rich Schultz
Both quarterbacks were remarkably efficient. Cousins bested Foles on the stat sheet, with 427 yards passing to Foles’ 325. Both fanbases should feel plenty fine about their offenses going forward, however. Washington and Philadelphia combined for 890 total yards of offense.
Cousins made perhaps the play of the day. The Eagles seemingly had momentum, up 27-20 after kicking a pair of field goals and holding Washington to a pair of punts. Then Cousins found DeSean Jackson deep downfield. Jackson slipped behind his former team's secondary, and Cousins threw a pretty pass for an 81-yard touchdown.
Foles fired back. After taking several big hits behind a patchwork offensive line, he threw a 27-yard strike to Jeremy Maclin midway through the fourth quarter to give the Eagles a 34-27 lead. On Washington’s ensuing offensive possession, miscommunication led Cousins to throw into an open patch of field, and Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins made a diving interception. Philadelphia turned the turnover into three points and a two-score lead.
In an offense-dominated game, the Eagles made a key defensive stand late. Washington pulled within three, and had an opportunity to tie or take the lead within the two-minute warning after taking over possession inside Eagles territory thanks to a bad punt. Cousins’ 4th-and-10 pass was woefully wide, however, giving possession back to the Eagles and essentially ending the game.
Jackson jawed with his old teammates early in the game. That chippiness evolved into outright brawl in the fourth quarter after Washington's Chris Baker laid out Foles on a late hit. Baker was ejected along with Philadelphia left tackle Jason Peters.
As was the case in its first two games, Philadelphia's offense got off to a slow start. Washington took the only two-score lead of the game with a field goal early in the second quarter to make the score 17-7. The Eagle's only points by that time had come off a 102-yard kickoff return by Chris Polk.
Foles regained his form, however, and was able to hook up with Jordan Matthews for two touchdown passes in the second quarter. At halftime, the score was 21-20, Eagles, and both teams had yet to punt.
Washington vs. Eagles
What we learned:
1) Cousins is pretty darn good
Let’s put this up front since it is likely going to be a talking point into infinity. Cousins was very good. He was accurate, smart and poised. He was deadly on third down (Washington was 8-for-15 on the day). He is a good fit for Jay Gruden’s offense and he will help Washington win games this season.
You can draw your own conclusions about the long-term implications.
2) The Eagles maybe should have held on to DeSean Jackson
The former Eagles wideout got his revenge against his old team. He had been held relatively quiet until the third quarter, but then he made one of the biggest plays of the game by getting free behind the Eagles’ secondary to haul in a well-thrown ball by Cousins. From there, Jackson’s speed took over for an 81-yard touchdown that tied the game, 27-27.
Jackson had been off to a slow start. On Sunday, however, he made Washington very happy about its investment.
3) Eagles’ offensive line is a problem
At 3-0, there is zero need for the Eagles to panic about their season. The offensive line is very clearly a problem, however.
After Peters was ejected, the unit suddenly found itself without four starters. Center Jason Kelce went down earlier in the game with an abdomen injury. Lane Johnson and Evan Mathis were absent to start the game.
The result was a hectic day for Foles in the pocket and just 54 yards rushing. LeSean McCoy was held to just 22 yards on 20 carries. Chip Kelly's offense was still effective, but it was noticeably hampered against a good Washington front seven.
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