Eagles surge in fourth quarter to defeat commanders, extend NFC East lead

The Philadelphia Eagles rallied in the fourth quarter to secure a 26-18 victory over the Washington Commanders on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field, extending their lead in the NFC East.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley ran for 146 yards and two fourth-quarter touchdowns, while quarterback Jalen Hurts put Philadelphia ahead with a touchdown run to start the final quarter, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.

The Commanders took an early lead in the first quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brian Robinson Jr.

The story of the Eagles' season so far has been the incredible play of Barkley and the surprising performance of Vic Fangio's defense. That continued in Thursday's crucial divisional win over the Commanders.

On a night when Hurts struggled to get going, the defense kept rookie quarterback sensation Jayden Daniels in check and came up with a key fourth-quarter interception courtesy of safety Reed Blankenship to help create a snowball effect in Philly's favor. There were only modest expectations for the defense coming into the season, but the Eagles entered the week ranked second in yards allowed per game and tied for fifth in points allowed per game, figures that stand to hold up after Thursday.

Barkley scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns in a span of 20 seconds to turn what was mostly a nail-biter into a comfortable victory for Philadelphia, which has now won six in a row.

The Eagles' chances of winning the division shot up from 63% to 81%, according to ESPN Analytics. They'll enjoy their mini-bye before turning their attention to a Week 12 matchup against the Rams. It will be their last plane ride of the regular season.

News.Az