Dominant Defense Leads to Win

Posted: November 15th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor

Washington and Philly came into Thursday night with two of the best offenses in the league. So naturally the Eagles defense stole the show. Jayden Daniels might have had all the hype coming into the game, but Jalen Carter and Zack Baun were the guys who played like stars. Carter was disruptive all game long, just overwhelming blockers. Baun flew around the field, making tackles all over the place.

The Eagles limited Washington to 264 yards and 18 points. That is the second lowest yardage of the season and the 18 points ties a season low. And the Commanders needed garbage time to get that. Vic Fangio’s defense was great. They rushed the passer well. They covered receivers. They tackled well for most of the game. Someone seeing Washington for the first time this year would be shocked that they are the #3 scoring offense in the league.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense were once again a tricky group to evaluate. The final stats showed 26 points and 434 yards. Most teams would kill for that. The Eagles only had 10 points in the first three quarters and the offense bogged down in crucial situations. They were 1 for 3 in the red zone. They had some bad moments that hurt promising drives.

Saquon Barkley had another monster game, going 26-146-2 on the ground and 2-52 as a receiver. His 23-yard TD run gave the Eagles some cushion at 19-10 and his 39-yard TD sprint put the game away. He deserves some MVP consideration.

Jake Elliott had his worst game as a pro. He missed 2 FGs and an extra point. Those 7 points could have been huge. The fact the Eagles overcame those missed kicks and the slow start and still won shows you how talented this team is. They were able to make the key plays that gave them the lead and won them the game. As good as Washington has been this year, they still need to get better.

There was a great sequence in the early fourth quarter. Washington drove into FG range. They got 9 yards on first down, setting up 2nd & inches. Jalen Carter blew up the next play, which led to 3rd & 1. Zack Baun and BG stuffed a run on third down to set up 4th & 2. The whole world expected Dan Quinn to kick the FG. The Commanders were down 12-10 so the FG would have given them the lead (if good).

Jalen Carter blew up the play and then Baun finished it off when Daniels ran wide. That was an electric moment. You just knew the Eagles were winning at that point.

Washington struggled to run the ball all game. They finished with 28 carries for 93 yards. One went for 18 so the other 27 carries netted only 75 yards. The Eagles front clogged the running lanes and the LBs flew to the ball.

The Commanders offense has worked on a formula of running the ball and throwing in favorable situations. They couldn’t do that tonight. Daniels was throwing in more challenging situations and he struggled. Washington WRs finished with only 4 catches. Terry McLaurin faced Quinyon Mitchell for most of the game and went 1-10. That catch came when they flipped McLaurin to the opposite side of the field to get him away from Q.

Washington only had one pass go for more than 16 yards. Fangio forced another offense to play small-ball and it worked once again. The Eagles back seven is playing at a high level right now.

The Eagles have now won 6 games in a row. They have a 1.5 game lead in the division. Every week we see more signs that this team is a legit contender.

Last year the Eagles were 9-1 at this point. That’s just a game difference from 8-2, but the teams feel very different. This defense is for real. Saquon is a special dude. The passing game can be erratic, but it can deliver big plays as well. Jalen Hurts looks different than last season. He’s faster and just seems more athletic.

I think the stretch run is going to be a lot more fun this season.

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The Defense as tenacious and they are getting better every game.