Eagles keep in first; Commanders’ Daniels struggles once more

The Eagles wanted that form of efficiency as quarterback Jalen Hurts and the passing sport have been unable to essentially discover a rhythm at any level within the sport.

Listed below are 4 different takeaways from Thursday’s sport. 

Eagles defensive turnaround continues

The Eagles are formally on a roll, and one of many largest elements of their climb again to the highest of the NFC East has been the outstanding one-year turnaround of their protection.

After ending thirtieth within the NFL a yr in the past and enjoying a big position of their second half meltdown, the Eagles entered play on Thursday night time with the No. 5 protection within the league this season. They performed prefer it in opposition to Washington, utterly shutting down what had been one of many prime offenses within the NFL.

Probably the most spectacular a part of their efficiency was the way in which they utterly took away and eradicated star large receiver Terry McLaurin, limiting him to only one catch for 10 yards on solely two targets. 

Ultimately they held the Commanders offense to simply 264 complete yards, solely 18 first downs and simply 18 factors. 

Going into their Week 10 sport the Commanders have been averaging 29 factors and over 392 yards per sport. Over the previous two video games they averaged lower than 250 yards and scored simply 43 complete factors. 

Jayden Daniels doesn’t look proper 

The competitors has grow to be considerably harder for Daniels the previous two weeks, and he has performed like a rookie in these video games.

After finishing simply 17-of-34 passes for less than 202 yards per week in the past in a 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Daniels was even worse this week in opposition to the Eagles.

He completed the sport 22-for-32 for less than 191 yards, together with his solely landing coming with lower than 30 seconds to play when Washington was already trailing by 16 factors. 

It was additionally the second week in a row the place he was an entire non-factor within the operating sport. 

Is it the very fact he performed back-to-back excellent defenses? The rib harm from just a few weeks in the past nonetheless bothering him? A mixture of each elements? Regardless of the case, Daniels has not seemed like the identical quarterback he was earlier within the season, and till he will get again to that degree the Commanders are going to battle to get again to their successful methods. 

Eagles may need a kicking drawback

The one unfavourable for the Eagles on Thursday night time was the poor exhibiting from kicker Jake Elliott. The normally dependable Elliott has missed extra kicks than the Eagles are accustomed to seeing from him, and he had a dreadful night time on Thursday lacking two area targets, an additional level and barely sneaking one other additional level contained in the purpose posts. 

That’s seven factors that he left on the sector. It didn’t harm the Eagles on this sport, however in a better sport that might have been a pricey exhibiting. 

Commanders are nonetheless studying win

The Commanders are one of many largest surprises within the NFL this season, and that continues to be the case even after back-to-back losses. However what these two losses have proven us is that this workforce remains to be younger, nonetheless rebuilding and nonetheless studying win constantly within the NFL. Particularly when the competitors will get higher.

They’d a 10-point second half lead in opposition to Pittsburgh per week in the past and couldn’t shut it out. They have been seemingly in command of Thursday’s sport within the first half and had an opportunity to take a 13-12 lead halfway via the fourth quarter if that they had kicked a 45-yard area purpose. As a substitute of taking these three factors, they tried to go for it on fourth-and-two and have been stuffed partially as a consequence of a mishandled snap. 

From that time on the Eagles utterly took over and scored 14 consecutive factors. These are video games championship groups need to win. The Commanders are actually workforce. Possibly even an excellent. They nonetheless have some room to develop.