Commanders vs. Eagles score, takeaways: Julio Jones' fourth-quarter TD keys Philadelphia's shootout win

[time2rock]

Commanders vs. Eagles score, takeaways: Julio Jones' fourth-quarter TD keys Philadelphia's shootout win

Jones made his one catch count in getting the Eagles to 7-1

 

By Jeff Kerr

 

Oct 29, 2023 at 6:26 pm ET

LANDOVER, Md. -- Just two games into his Philadelphia Eagles career, Julio Jones showcased the greatness that makes him a future Hall of Fame receiver. Jones caught the go-ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Eagles a thrilling 38-31 victory over the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field on Sunday. 

Jones caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts with 7:17 left to give Philadelphia its first lead of the day at 31-24. This was his first touchdown catch with the team after signing him two weeks ago. The touchdown catch came after Reed Blankenship intercepted Sam Howell for the Eagles' first takeaway of the game. 

The Commanders had an opportunity to respond, but Terry McLaurin dropped a wide-open pass in the middle of the field when Washington faced a fourth-and-8 at the Philadelphia 40-yard line with 4:13 left. After the Eagles went three-and-out, Washington was stopped on fourth-and-5 after Haason Reddick sacked Howell and forced the fumble to force a turnover on downs. Reddick's sack was the only one for the Eagles all game. 

D'Andre Swift's four-yard touchdown run with 1:50 left give the Eagles a two-touchdown lead, but the Commanders scored a late touchdown to cut the deficit to 38-31 with 1:01 left. Philadelphia recovered the onside kick to seal the win.

Here's a look at our key takeaways from the game:

Why the Eagles won

The Eagles offense did have two fumbles inside the 5 yard line, but still managed to put up 38 points in the win (28 of which came in the second half). Jalen Hurts went 9 of 13 for 140 yards and three touchdowns in the second half (144.2 rating), finding A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Julio Jones on the scores. Philadelphia made some clutch defensive plays in the fourth quarter, starting with Reed Blankenship's interception and stopping Washington on downs twice in a one possession game. The Eagles weren't perfect by any means, but they won the game thanks to a big second half. 

Why the Commanders lost

Washington had an excellent game plan against Philadelphia's new look secondary, finding openings in the middle of the field to move the chains and get points on the board. When push game to shove, situational football hurt the Commanders. Sam Howell threw a crucial fourth-quarter interception in his own territory in a tie game that helped the Eagles take the lead, Terry McLaurin dropped a fourth down catch that would have extended the drive in a one possession game, and the offensive line allowed their first sack on fourth down late when the score was 31-24. The little miscues for the Commanders added up. 

Turning point

Blankenship's interception off Sam Howell on second-and-15 in a 24-24 game set the Eagles up for Julio Jones' go-ahead touchdown two plays later. The Eagles scored on a long DeVonta Smith touchdown to tie the game at 24-24 with 8:47 left as Washington responded with the turnover three plays after the score. The Eagles safeties were struggling in coverage all day, but Blankenship's interception was the turnover they needed to help put them in position to finally take the lead. 

Jones scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7:22 left to give the Eagles the lead for good. 

Play of the game

A.J. Brown's one-handed touchdown catch with 34 seconds left in the second quarter was the play of the year for the Eagles, as he corralled the pass in the back corner of the end zone to cut the Eagles' deficit to 14-10 late in the second quarter. 

Brown admitted after the game he practiced that catch Friday and knew he could pull it off in a game. He finished with eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns. 

The quote

"Who James? Who James? I call him James Jet man. They worked on it long enough in practice (this week), so we were like, 'It better work.' We were all excited, man, for the vet to get into the end zone." -- A.J. Brown on Julio Jones' touchdown catch. 

Up next

The Eagles (7-1) host the Cowboys next Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field while the Commanders (3-5) travel to New England to face the Patriots in Week 9. 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/commanders-vs-eagles-score-takeaways-julio-jones-fourth-quarter-td-keys-philadelphias-shootout-win/live/

[birdman#12]

I'd love to see Julio Jones have a bit of a resurgence this year......make that 3rd option a real threat.....