It wasn’t a great performance for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, from a fumble on the opening kickoff and a pair of penalties on a quick drive to three field goal attempts wide left to a first-half deficit.
However, Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and company finally headed in the right direction and captured their second straight NFC East title by defeating the Washington Commanders 29-18 on Saturday night. The game included a late brawl after Barkley converted a two-point conversion to increase the Eagles’ lead to 19 points.
Starting to play under center more frequently than he did earlier in the season, Hurts completed 22 of 30 throws — with 15 caught by AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith — for 185 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He connected with Smith from five yards out in the first half and with tight end Dallas Goedert from the 15 to put Philadelphia ahead 14-10 in the third quarter, capping a 17-play, 83-yard, 10 1/2-minute drive.
Hurts also did plenty of damage on the ground, gaining 40 yards on seven carries for the Eagles (10-5), who followed a three-game losing streak by winning two in a row. They are the first team to lead the NFC East in consecutive seasons since Philadelphia did so every year from 2001 to 2004. The gap since then has been the longest drought without a repeat champion of any division in NFL history.
Barkley added a 12-yard TD run for the Eagles, part of a 21-carry, 132-yard performance.
With the Leaders (4-11), now losers in nine of their past 10 contests, already eliminated from postseason contention, there was plenty of green space in the stands. Chants of “Eagles, Eagles!” Frequently rang and cries of “Cooooop!” Cooper Dejean’s interception of Josh Johnson, Washington’s third-string quarterback, came when Marcus Mariota went off after the opening drive of the third quarter with an injured right hand as Washington led 10-7.
Mariota started Saturday in place of Jayden Daniels, the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year who led the Chiefs to the NFC title game last season — a 55-23 loss to Philadelphia — but was shut down in 2025 after dealing with a series of injuries and appearing in just seven games.
The cold evening started inauspiciously for the Eagles: Will Shipley coughed up a kickoff when Mike Sinristil was hit, and Washington recovered at the Philadelphia 27, eventually getting a field goal.
The Eagles took a 7-3 lead on a trip that was almost painful. He was 4-for-5 passing for 53 yards, including a six-yard TD toss to Smith, and added a 14-yard run as well.
That’s not to say Hurts was perfect. barely. He missed open receivers, including an egregious takedown of Brown and another miscommunication with Smith.
The Eagles’ Jake Elliott sent three field goal attempts wide in the first half. Elliott has gone 17-for-22 on field goals this season and has never missed more than one in a game. But he came away with a 43-yard run in the first quarter. Then, with 13 seconds left in the first half, Elliott couldn’t put a 57-yard shot through the posts — but that shot wasn’t counted, because Washington’s Tyler Owens was flagged for offside. Given another chance, now from 52 yards out, Elliott went left again.
Three players were ejected after a brawl broke out involving a large number of other Eagles and Leaders late in the fourth quarter and Barkley scored a two-point conversion to extend his team’s lead to 19 points with about four and a half minutes left in the game.
Two members of Washington’s defense — Javon Kinlaw and Quan Martin — and one Eagles player — offensive lineman Tyler Steen — were ruled out after they were flagged for unnecessary roughness.
There was a lot of pushing and shoving, and a lot of jaw-dropping too, with the crowds spreading across the grass. Officials threw six flags as chaos erupted.
Eventually, order was restored, and midfielder Barkley and Hurts & Commanders Bobby Wagner talked to each other.