Saquon Barkley, crucial fourth down stop Power Eagles to win vs. Commanders: Key Takeaways

By Ben Standig, Brooks Kubena and Amos Morale III

The Philadelphia Eagles earned their sixth straight victory with a 26-18 win over the Washington Commanders on “Thursday Night Football.”

The Eagles trailed 10–6 heading into the fourth quarter, but scored three touchdowns in the final frame to secure their eighth win of the season and improve their lead in the NFC East.

Running back Saquon Barkley finished with 146 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards to go along with two fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 23 and 39 yards.

This is actually a planned Saquon Barkley TD tweet @saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/zDRIu7hXsv

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 15, 2024

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had the other score, which came via Philadelphia’s signature “tush push.”

Baun, Eagles defense steps up

Linebacker Zack Baun made the play. On fourth-and-2 at the Eagles 26 in a two-point game, Baun stopped commander QB Jayden Daniels for no gain. The turnover on downs caused a major change. The Eagles scored quickly on the next drive on a 23-yard run by Barkley.

Philadelphia’s defense played strong all game. When they reached that fateful fourth-place finish, the Eagles had held the Commanders to -1 yard on seven short-range rush attempts (three yards to go or less). Commanders coach Dan Quinn will have to answer for his aggressiveness when the lead was available with a field goal. The Eagles held Daniels to 191 yards passing and 18 yards rushing. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio drew up yet another game plan that limited an opponent to fewer than 20 points. — Brooks Kubena, Eagles beat writer

Remove a concern?

The fourth stop covered up a bad night for Jake Elliott. The eighth-year veteran and reliable placekicker who signed a four-year extension worth $24 million this offseason missed a 44-yard field goal, a 51-yard field goal and an extra point — all wide left. The attempt afterward was the most egregious. It left the door open for the Commanders to take the lead in a 12-10 game with 12:04 left in the fourth quarter. Elliott has been a guarantor for the Eagles throughout his career. Tonight the Eagles defense saved him. Elliott has never missed more than five field goals in his career. He has now missed five to 10 games. — Kubena

Barkley covers for sputtering foul

The box score will show another huge game for Barkley. But the Eagles struggled to score for most of the game. The Commanders established their downfield options in the passing game. Barkley was averaging less than four yards per carry entering the fourth quarter. They twice failed to score touchdowns in the red zone — even when Hurts had AJ Brown in one-on-one coverage with cornerback Mike Sainristil, who stopped Brown’s route in the end zone on an incomplete pass.

Nick Sirianni and Kellen Moore will face questions for a curious trick play call in the first half that lost significant yardage and wasted great field position. But in the end, the Eagles used their star power and played explosively when momentum mattered most. — Kubena

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Answer that you love Saquon Barkley.@saquon | #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/e4TKKo3rSN

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 15, 2024

Quinn’s gamble backfires

Washington’s offense worked all the way against Philadelphia and still had a chance for a go-ahead goal from the Eagles’ 26 with about eight minutes left. Quinn took the aggressive route and kept his offense on the field. Perhaps the sight of the home team scoring drives of 82 and 74 yards on their two previous possessions scared the head coach. But again, the commander’s offensive line had no control over the line of scrimmage.

We’ll never know what happens if Daniels doesn’t botch the snap. Once he did, the Eagles defenders cut off the quarterback’s outside running lane. The zero-yard carry ended that drive. When they regained possession after Barkley’s first touchdown, the hope of winning was on life support.

Letting kicker Zane Gonzalez score a go-ahead goal seemed like a sensible move in a low-scoring game. Instead, Quinn went for the big play on a night when Daniels didn’t have a sharp line and the offense was small. — Ben Standig, commanders beat writer

The defense falls in the final round

Don’t blame this loss on Washington’s defense, even though the group went from bending to cracking to breaking in the second half. Frankie Luvu (two sacks), Jeremy Chinn and Sainristil were among the players flying through the field in the first half. They hit hard and covered well as they held the Eagles to three points before halftime.

But as the game went on, Philadelphia’s offense started delivering punches and haymakers. The commanders held their ground, but in the end the blows were too much for a unit that had to stay on the field for far too long, as the attack finished 3 out of 12 in third place. Instead of keeping Philly’s playmakers largely in check, Barkley hurt them late. The defenders won’t use fatigue as an excuse, but the game evolved like a team gasping for breath. — Standing

Required reading

(Photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)