Philadelphia 34, Washington 24
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, October 23, 2017
Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Temperature:
70°
Head Official:
Ed Hochuli
Attendance:
69596
By The Sports Xchange
PHILADELPHIA -- Carson Wentz isn't playing like a second-year quarterback.
Try more like a Most Valuable Player.
Wentz connected with different teammates on each of his four touchdown passes, catapulting the Philadelphia Eagles past the Washington Redskins 34-24 on Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
The former North Dakota State star hit wide receiver Mack Hollins for 64 yards, then threw a 4-yard strike to tight end Zach Ertz and a 9-yard pass to undrafted free agent running back Corey Clement.
Wentz's fourth score came on a 10-yard pass to wide receiver Nelson Agholor for a 31-17 lead with 11:10 remaining.
Wentz has already thrown 17 touchdown passes through seven games, one more than he had all of last season. He finished the night 17 of 25 for 268 yards with one interception.
"I just think he played extremely well tonight," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "He understands the game plan. He studies and prepares like a quarterback that I've never seen before this young."
Even when the Eagles trailed early and were sputtering a bit on offense, Wentz didn't panic.
"We just kept saying, 'Stay together, stay together,'" Wentz said. "We had to weather the storm."
The Eagles (6-1) won their fifth straight. The Redskins (3-3) dropped into a second-place tie in the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys.
Washington was swept by the Eagles.
"It's very disappointing being the second time in a row we lost to them," Redskins tight end Jordan Reed said. "It was a huge, critical game for the NFC East. They outplayed us today. They deserved it."
Washington got within 24-17 when quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Reed late in the third quarter.
Philadelphia came right back and extended its lead to two touchdowns.
The news wasn't all good for the Eagles, however, as left tackle Jason Peters was carted off the field with a leg injury with 14:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Philadelphia was leading 17-10 when Peters got tangled up with defensive lineman Ziggy Hood. Peters' leg appeared to bend awkwardly, and the veteran had an air cast placed on it before heading out on a cart.
Peters, a nine-time Pro Bowl tackle, didn't return, and his condition wasn't immediately known.
"He means a ton to that football team, to that locker room," Pederson said. "He's a tremendous leader. We'll have to see tomorrow where he's at."
Rookie Jake Elliott's 42-yard field goal with 6:19 left gave the Eagles a 34-17 lead.
Cousins' third touchdown pass, his second to Reed, this one for 12 yards, cut the deficit to 34-24 with 3:17 left.
Cousins completed 30 of 40 passes for 303 yards with one interception.
However, Washington's defense couldn't contain the Eagles after the first quarter.
"It's one of the worst feelings ever," Redskins linebacker Mason Foster said of not being able to get off the field. "You're playing hard, you have them in third-and-long and (Wentz) makes a crazy play. But that's what you have to do when you play against a mobile quarterback, and that's the challenge he creates."
The Redskins drove 66 yards on eight plays on their first possession but settled for a 27-yard field goal from Nick Rose for an early 3-0 lead.
After some sloppy play through the first quarter, the Eagles put together a solid drive resulting in a 50-yard field goal from Elliott with 13:15 remaining in the second quarter to tie the score at 3.
It was Elliott's 11th consecutive field goal and his fourth from 50 yards or longer this season.
Washington responded quickly and capped a seven-play, 81-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown pass from Cousins to running back Chris Thompson for a 10-3 advantage with 9:14 left in the first half.
Eagles linebacker Najee Goode got turned around, allowing Thompson to walk into the end zone untouched.
Wentz struggled mightily through most of the first half, going 3 of 8 for 30 yards and three sacks. However, he showed some toughness and lofted a beautiful 64-yard touchdown pass to Hollins to tie the score at 10 with 3:19 remaining.
With 22 seconds left in the half, Wentz continued his improved play and tossed his second touchdown pass, this time a 4-yard strike to Ertz for a 17-10 lead.
NOTES: Redskins QB Kirk Cousins announced on Twitter that his grandmother, Jean Cousins, died Sunday night. ... The Eagles played without CB Ronald Darby (ankle) and LB Mychal Kendricks (hamstring). ... Redskins CB Josh Norman sat out a second consecutive game with a fractured rib. ... Former Eagles K David Akers was inducted into the team's Hall of Fame in a halftime ceremony. ... K Nick Rose played in his first career game for the Redskins. ... Eagles LB Jordan Hicks had been questionable with an ankle injury but was able to start. However, he was injured on the second play of the game and was helped off the field.
Top Game Performances
Receiving
Washington |
|
Philadelphia |
Vernon Davis
|
Player |
Zach Ertz
|
4 |
Receptions |
5 |
67 |
Yards |
89 |
16.8 |
Avg Yards |
17.8 |
0 |
Touchdowns |
1 |
31 |
Long |
46 |
Team Stats Summary
|
Yards |
Scoring |
Defense |
Team |
Tot |
Rus |
Pas |
TD |
FG |
INT |
Sck |
FF |
Washington
|
344 |
75 |
269 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
3.0 |
1 |
Philadelphia
|
371 |
127 |
244 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
4.0 |
1 |
Upcoming Games
-
Philadelphia will play their next game at home against San Francisco. The Eagles have a W/L % of .800 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.
-
Washington will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Redskins have a W/L % of .250 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.