Jayden Daniels and Commanders stun Eagles at the buzzer
The Philadelphia Eagles came into town riding a 10-game winning streak, thanks to a potent two-headed offensive attack featuring Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley as well as arguably the best defense in the league. Philadelphia rushed out to an early lead and a blowout of the Commanders looked likely … until the 11th play of the game when Hurts was sidelined with a concussion.
With backup Kenny Pickett behind center, the Eagles leaned heavily on Barkley, who rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns, enabling the Birds to jump to a 14-0 lead barely eight minutes into the game. By the third quarter, Philly was ahead 27-14 lead and the Commanders had a five percent chance of winning the contest. But the fourth quarter veered heavily off script and the burgundy and gold rallied to stun their division rival.
Washington’s rookie phenom Jayden Daniels sparked an improbable 22-point fourth quarter to steal a 36-33 win over the Eagles, capped by a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder with just six seconds remaining. On the day, Daniels completed 24 of 39 attempts for 258 yards with a career-best five touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for a team-high 81 yards.
Through 15 weeks, Philadelphia hadn’t given up more than two touchdown passes in a single game this season. Daniels, who is still technically a rookie, threw for five. One of those went to his favorite target, Terry McLaurin, who hauled in his 12th touchdown reception of the season — tying the franchise record with Super Bowl champion Ricky Sanders.
With the win, Dan Quinn became the first coach in franchise history to win at least 10 games in his first season. Amazingly, the last time the franchise was 10-5 was back in 1991. The Commanders now have a 94 percent chance to make the postseason, and a win over Atlanta next week on Sunday Night Football will clinch their spot. As the franchise seeks its first playoff victory in 19 years.